Flowers and Fridays
by doctoring
Summary: Kevin is a bit obsessed with flowers. But he's starting to become more obsessed with a certain physician who keeps giving him flowers. Too bad this adorable doctor lives so far away and is about to transfer again.
1. A Floral Apron

_**BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

Kevin screwed his eyes shut even tighter, as if that would be enough to stop whatever was banging on the metal garage door at too early o'clock.

 _ **BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

He groaned as he kicked the covers off. He shuffled towards his second story window to see who's causing this ruckus downstairs when they are clearly NOT. OPENED.

A frantic guy is pacing before he knocks again, less aggressive this time. _Of course, after I'm awake._ The stranger waits a moment, then turns to leave, but halfway down the driveway he looks up and sees Kevin.

 _Holy mess, he's hot_.

The hot guy calls out to him, "I'm sorry to be a bother. Do you know what time they open?"

"Saturday afternoon. We're taking the weekend off as a… personal holiday?" That was the best way his tired brain could describe it. The rest of his family (the same family that lives upstairs with him and obviously couldn't be bothered to stop the noise downstairs) decided to take this particular Friday and Saturday off in June, aside from a few previously booked appointments on Saturday. However, they didn't even talk about what to tell their customers… and none of them asked, so it hadn't mattered until now.

Hot guy's face falls. Kevin felt the tiny tug of compassion in his chest and decided to give in. "Dude. Wait… I'll be right down in, like, ten seconds." But it wasn't ten seconds since Kevin had to catch his breath and steady himself when the hot guy beamed up at him.

As soon as Kevin rolls up the garage door, the hot guy, "Eddward Vincent, but please, call me 'Edd,'" starts explaining himself. He was on his way to a conference, and his car gave out, and he's running late, and he's the first panel, and…

Kevin finally shushes him and agrees to at least look at the car, but he can't guarantee if he will be able to fix it, and if he could, he still can't tell him when it will be done since he hasn't even had a chance to check the problem since he doesn't even know what car Edd was talking about. After a brief pause, Edd catches on and points to a car on the corner of the road. "She stalled out over there."

"I'm just going to check it out where it's at then, if you don't mind, rather than waste time trying to get it into the garage."

"That's perfectly fine!"

As Kevin is poking around to assess the damage, he watches Edd from the corner of his eye. He seems beyond stressed, pacing while checking his watch every few steps. Finally, Kevin closes the hood and says, "This might take a while. How about I take you to that conference you mentioned, and I can look at it in the garage afterwards?"

Edd readily agrees, though he hesitates for a moment upon seeing Kevin's motorcycle.

. . . . . . .

Later that afternoon, Edd calls Kevin. "In my haste I seem to have left my overnight bag in the car…"

"No worries. If you give me a few, I can return the bag and the car to you. I got you a replacement battery and alternator, and I'm almost done hooking everything back up."

"Splendid! I can be there in about twenty minutes, is that okay?"

"Perfect. I should be done by then."

Once Edd gets back to the Barr Garage, Kevin hands him the bill. Edd looks it over as he pulls out a credit card, hesitating for a moment. "I don't mean to complain about the low cost, but… What about the service fee? Manual labor? All that other stuff?"

"Don't worry about it."

"But I insist! You took time out of your personal holiday to help me!"

"Well, if you insist, how about… you let me make you dinner tonight? It would be nice to have company tonight… I mean, if you don't have any dinner plans already…"

"I don't! That is, I-I don't have any dinner plans already!"

Kevin grins at the blushing Edd as he hands the credit card back.

Within the next few minutes, Edd finds himself upstairs in Kevin's apartment, watching him cut up vegetables. Well, not so much watching the food prep but more so watching Kevin himself, a muscular man wearing a floral apron which has somehow enhanced his physique and given Edd a few inappropriate thoughts about what he should do to Kevin and that apron. While Edd was trying to stop the next inappropriate thought from creeping in, he notices that the apron wasn't the only floral printed thing in the apartment. The upholstery was all floral printed, there was a few framed flower pressings on one wall, and finally Edd noticed the window box of flowers, blooms closed for the night.

"So, who picked out all the floral prints?"

"Me, actually." Edd whipped his head towards Kevin, a little surprised at the response, but also relieved he didn't say it was his girlfriend's choice. Kevin laughs at Edd's reaction. "Yeah, I get that face a lot when people realize how obsessed I am with plant life."

Edd picks up a book off the coffee table, and thumbs through it, just to see a few pressings fall out. "I see," he says, picking the dried flower up and showing Kevin.

"Yeah, that used to drive Da mad. He liked having a son that took after him in terms of sports and mechanics but would complain that I got Ma's green thumb. 'Why must there be FLOWERS EVERYWHERE!?' he'd say whenever there was another pressing or a new flower pot, but we'd catch him admiring them or smelling them."

Edd giggles. "I wish I was like that. The only green life I've managed to keep alive was a cactus, but only barely."

Kevin grins at him while plating the food. "You sound like Da. He couldn't grow anything himself. Anyways, dinner's ready, so let's dig in!"

At the dinner table Edd asks Kevin more about the rest of the family once he finds out that his cousins also work at the garage, and how the family business came to be. When Kevin brings up his dad again, he loses his train of thought for a moment and stares off in silence.

"Dude, sorry… haven't really talked about Da to anyone outside of the family since he passed…"

"Oh! So… He's-"

"Yeah, seems like it was time for him to be promoted from mechanic to angel," Kevin said, putting down his fork. "Tomorrow will be three months… So most of the family decided it would be a good time to take the weekend off and get our bearings, since we've all been in a kind of funk recently."

"I am so sorry! I shouldn't have interrupted your personal holiday, I-"

"Edd," Kevin places his hand on top of Edd's, silencing him. "Don't sweat about it. You actually helped me out more than you know. It was good to get back into the groove of things… And thanks for agreeing to have dinner with me… It was nice to have someone else here, and I really do enjoy your company."

Kevin smiles at him before pulling back his hand and resuming the meal. Edd, however, sits there looking even more distraught. "Dude, what's wrong?"

"I… I hate to admit this, but when you suggested dinner, I kinda thought you meant it… like in a date kind of way?"

Edd starts blushing and buries his face in his hands. Edd starts mumbling about how this is fine too, and that he completely understands what Kevin was trying to do when he hears a loud _**CLANK**_. Edd chances a peek between his fingers, and sees Kevin staring at him with his jaw dropped, and his hand poised next to his mouth, clearly unawares that the fork with his next bite of food had fallen to his plate. Kevin shakes himself and starts to blush himself.

"Um, yeah… A date would have been nice… but I haven't made a meal for anyone in so long, since Da's been gone actually… was just trying to get back into the swing of things." Kevin looks away and starts rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe… maybe if this was several months ago… I probably would have tried taking you out… that is, if I could ever get over my nerves."

Kevin froze once his realized his damn mouth had betrayed him and looked at Edd to assess the damage. Edd had now pulled his hat down over his face but the deep blush was still visible on his chin and neck.

Kevin cleared his throat and asked, "So did you try the salad dressing yet? It's homemade."

Edd shook his head and retreated from the safety of his hat, to take a bite of the salad. After gushing about how well the flavors complimented each other, the rest of the dinner went on as if no one had mentioned dating.


	2. The First of Many

_A/N: This story is already completely written, but I'm posting the chapters in real time. (Whatever day the chapter starts on is when I'm posting it.)  
Therefore, some chapters will be posted quickly, and some might take a while.  
Thank you for your patience. :)_

. . . . . . .

The next day, when the garage is actually opened, a delivery truck arrives. One of his employees goes to accept the delivery and returns with three bouquets that he dumps onto Kevin's Desk. He has flowers to thank him for fixing the car. Flowers for his loss. Flowers that Edd wants Kevin to put on his dad's grave for him. Kevin takes a break and goes upstairs with the flowers for his loss. He places the bouquet on the kitchen table where his dad used to sit. He grabs another vase and returns downstairs, to set up the first bouquet on his desk. Kevin then picks up the flowers for his dad's grave, staring at them for a moment, thinking of the adorable guy who sent them. He then goes through the paperwork in the "to be filed" box until he finds what he was looking for, Edd's contact information.

He's grabs his cell and dials Edd's number. Though he wants to see Edd again, he's whispering "don't pick up" over and over to himself out of nerves. Just before the call was sent to voice mail, Edd picks up and Kevin starts to panic. "Um… hey… This is Kevin. I fixed your car yesterday?" Kevin groans inwardly at how foolish he sounded.

"Hello, Kevin! Is something the matter?"

"Nah. Um, I was just wondering if you were busy. Shoot. You probably are, you got that conference and-"

"Actually no. Just started my break and the next panel session doesn't start for another two hours. Did you need something?"

"Well, yeah… I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"Oh? What's that?"

"See, I got these flowers for Da today… but I only got that bike at the moment since I'm working on my car this week. I don't want to drive to the cemetery with the flowers and crush them along the way. Do you mind giving me a ride?" After a brief moment of silence, he adds "Plus, I want to make sure your car is working fine…" Kevin breathes out a sigh of relief when he hears Edd giggle.

"Of course. I can be there in about 15 minutes. See you soon."

"See ya."

Kevin quickly runs back upstairs and changes out his grease stained clothes. Edd picks him up and follows Kevin's directions to the cemetery. Once there, Edd tells Kevin that he'll just wait in the car, but he can take as much time as he needs. Kevin smiles softly and thanks him before getting out of the car.

It's the start of the summer and there's no shade in this parking lot, so even with the car running, Edd eventually begins to feel his arms and face heat up in the sunlight. He decides to get out and walk around for a bit since there's a nice breeze outside and plenty of trees in the cemetery to provide shade.

While he wanders, he hears a voice that seemed familiar, but he could not place a face to it. When he turned a corner, he could see that it was Kevin, talking to his father's headstone. Edd leans against a tree nearby once he's certain that Kevin did not see him. He hears him talking about the shop and the meal he made last night, the father's favorite apparently, and how he wishes he was there for it.

"Oh, and the flowers aren't from me… They're from this guy, Edd. He's fucking adorable. I think you'd like him. He's like Ma, with the way he talks all proper, and he's super sweet… He's the one I made dinner for last night. If you were still here, you'd probably be harassing the daylights out of me, tryin to embarrass me in front of him until I 'grow a pair and ask him out…'" Edd hears a slight sob just before Kevin says, "I miss you, Da." Edd finally realizes that he's eavesdropping on a personal moment and walks back to the car. Kevin arrives about five minutes later and thanks Edd. They drive home and after Edd drops Kevin off, Edd turns off his car and runs up to him.

"You still have my cell number, correct?"

"Well, I did call you like 40 minutes ago."

 _Glad to see he's recovered enough already to get sassy with me._ Edd laughs. "Well, feel free to call or text me whenever, for any reason at all. I might not respond quickly since my hours at work will be all over the place for the next month, but I will try my best!"

Kevin smiles softly at him and says he will.

. . . . . . .

He doesn't. It's been five days and still no messages from Kevin. Edd is pacing and wondering why this guy he hardly knows is causing him such stress. It's worse than this whole move and transfer he's going through. He's glad for the promotion but the paperwork and the transition phase are killing him, and this Kevin stress on top of it doesn't help.

The next morning, he looks up the garden nursery of the town where Kevin lives and places an order. He's thrilled when he finds out that he called in time, and it's just a potted plant, not an arrangement, so it can be delivered by noon.

. . . . . . .

It's Friday. Kevin hates Fridays. People bring in their vehicles any other day, willing to wait, but for some reason Friday has the worst kind of people. People who need the car done NOW because they have to be at work, or they have places to be for the weekend, and didn't bother bringing in a long-standing issue until now. Their irresponsibility is not his problem… except his job kinda makes it his problem, too.

Kevin just got off the phone with a customer who's been calling for updates every twenty minutes, when the delivery guy shows up and places a small box on Kevin's desk. The box is covered with plenty of "do not tilt" and "fragile" stickers and looks nothing like the usual car part delivery. Kevin opens the box and is confused when he sees the small, round cactus inside. Kevin uses the strap on the pot to slowly pull out the small cactus. Attached to the pot he finds a note that said, "Let's see if you can get this one to bloom. -EMV," and thinks for a minute, _EMV? EMV? Who do I know with those initials? EV? Maybe… No way… Maybe Eddward Vincent!?_ Kevin blushes and runs upstairs with the cactus.

. . . . . . .

Edd gets a text that afternoon. It's a picture message, of a cactus on a window sill. Two texts follow shortly after.

 _Kevin_ : Challenge accepted. Here's the pre-bloom pictures.

 _Kevin_ : Thank you.

That night they talk for a short bit via text, just another "thank you" and asking about their day, and checking to see if the car is okay.

They talked via text every day, just a bit more each night, Edd usually starting the conversation. It started out with Edd asking about updates on the cactus and about the other plants in Kevin's home. Edd learned that Kevin helps coach at the local community center during football season, and goes to the movies every Tuesday, sometimes Friday too. Kevin learned that Edd has always worn a hat like that since childhood, and he couldn't really break the habit. They found out that they grew up close to each other, just one town over. Edd might have seen him playing at the Lemon Brook vs. Peach Creek games.

Finally, Kevin asked about his job and Edd mentioned the transfer. Kevin's heart broke. _Glad I didn't actually ask him out on a date, since he's moving anyways. I mean, he already lives 4 hours away, so it's not like it matters if he didn't move._

Even though his fantasies of being with Edd were now dashed, he still looked forward to his texts every night.


	3. Fist Fights and FaceTime

_A/N: For the past month I've been between apartments, between jobs, and traveling. So I've gotten just a tad bit behind on posting. SORRY! Hopefully I can catch up over the next few days so we can get back on schedule by Friday._

. . . . . . .

It was the first Friday in July when Kevin texts and asks if he can call. But Edd was working a double and wouldn't be free until midnight. However, between the sweltering heat zapping all his energy and dealing with the last few patients and their firework-related injuries from the holiday two days ago, Edd is beat. He ends up going straight to bed, forgetting all about calling Kevin back.

The next morning, Edd wakes up to find that Kevin texted him at 1:30 AM.

 _Kevin_ : I kno it's late but call when u can i don't care when

Edd calls him immediately, still sitting in bed. As soon as Kevin picks up the phone with a groggy "Hello?" Edd immediately replies with, "What's wrong!?"

There's a slight pause and then some shuffling around on the other end, until Kevin finally says, "Oh, hey Edd. Um, nothing's really wrong…"

"You sure? Why were you up so late? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down." Kevin sighed loudly and continued, "Me and my cousins kinda got into it at a bar last night and it kinda sorta maybe blew up once we got home."

"Whatever for?"

"It's the shop. Things have been tense since Da died and we are a little unclear who exactly owns the shop now… You see, his will mentioned it was in the papers, but we can't find them." They sat there in silence until Edd chimed in, "Is it papers regarding the business property itself?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"I see, in that case, you might want to check with city hall and see if they have a copy. Couldn't hurt to check at least."

"Man, now I feel dumb." Kevin laughed "Yeah, that makes sense. I'll do that Monday. Thanks, dude."

"Glad to help, Kevin. Sorry I didn't call last night."

"Man, don't worry about it… that wasn't actually why I wanted to talk… I mean, it's why I was up late and maybe sounded, I don't know, stressed? Most likely drunk though… so, sorry about that, but yeah…"

"Oh? So why did you want me to call?"

"I just… wanted to talk to you…"

He had to physically suppress his squeal over how cute and shy Kevin sounded. Edd knew Kevin couldn't see him over the phone but he still pulled his hat down over his face when he started blushing. "That sounds nice," he mumbled through the fabric.

They continued to talk while going through their morning routine. Kevin heckles Edd for using instant coffee grounds. Edd scolds Kevin for cursing when he drops an egg on the floor while trying to hold the phone and cook at the same time. Kevin puts the phone on speaker, and Edd can hear everything. Apparently, Kevin's going full breakfast that morning. And he wishes he could be there instead of just sitting here eating toast in a half-packed condo. Kevin says, "There's plenty to go around if you were here" and that's when Edd realizes he accidently said his thoughts aloud.

They talk some more while going about their day until the coffee gets to Edd and he excuses himself to the restroom. When he returns, he notices the timer on the phone. Almost two hours! He's never talked this long to anyone! He figures he took up enough of Kevin's time already and thinks about the paperwork he should be doing. He then wonders what Kevin will be doing after they get off the phone, so instead of saying he should go, he asks Kevin his plans for the day.

"Oh! You're back! Um, yeah. Probably gonna stay here, can't really go downstairs with my cousin working today."

"Still feel bad about last night?"

"Nah. Nothing like that. He just got my face good and I don't want to give him the satisfaction."

"Got your face good? Wait! When you said you got into it I thought you meant you… yelled at each other or something like that... He _hit_ you?"

"Yeah, I mean, we hit each other actually… I-"

"He hurt your face!?"

"Edd, calm down, it's-"

"Show me!"

"Edd-"

"I'm a physician! Show me!"

Kevin was about to protest when his phone started making a weird noise. _FaceTime? Really?_ Kevin rolled his eyes but still grinned at Edd worrying over him. He pressed the button and see's Edd's concerned face. But soon he's distracted by what he doesn't see. _Is Edd not wearing a shirt? Or is it just like a low neckline or something?_

Edd immediately gasps "Your eyebrow!" Kevin thought it wasn't that bad, but it's honestly a gash over an inch long. "It looks like something got snagged just under your brow then got ripped up… You need stitches!"

Kevin lifts his hat a little to rub at it, and then Edd notices it. "Kevin, remove your hat, please."

"Edd, c'mon."

"Kevin!"

Kevin does, but Edd gets distracted by Kevin fixing his hair. He has a low fade and a long fringe that he's working through with his fingers. When he stops, Edd shakes himself, and goes back to the large lump on Kevin's forehead, near the temple. Edd's trying to doctor him over the phone but Kevin interrupts.

"It's not that serious. I'm used to it."

"USED TO IT!?"

"Edd, calm down. We Barr men come out the womb trying to fight each other. That's just how we are. Me and my cousin used to throw down all the time, if we were mad, if we were bored, if we were happy and just wanted to have some fun. Hell, we'd swing at each other and when asked why, we'd shrug and say, 'Cause it's Wednesday' or something."

Edd can see the love in Kevin's eye as he talks about _FIGHTING_ his cousins. It eases him a little, but honestly, it's a little disturbing for him. "So, do you fight people all the time?"

"Not people. Just my cousins and a few uncles. That's it. I couldn't do that with anyone else. It would have to be an extreme need for self-defense before I even think about laying a hand on anyone else." Edd smiles. "I'll be alright. I promise."

"Still. Go get some stitches. I'll call ahead for you, so you can get in and out fairly quickly."

Kevin rolls his eyes and says, "Yes, _Ma_."

Edd giggles, holding out the phone a little further, "I'm serious. I'm calling the hospital now. So, you better go."

Kevin doesn't respond, because he has his confirmation. Edd wasn't wearing a shirt. He quickly takes a screenshot but continues to stare. Edd's a little toned. And Kevin just wanted to lick him all over, and maybe-

"Kevin? Are you going?"

Kevin could feel himself blushing. "Uh, yeah, I am. Sorry." He grabs his wallet and keys, shaking them to show Edd he's about to head out.

"Good. Talk to you later."

"Later, Edd." Kevin smirks.

. . . . . . .

After Kevin gets all cleaned and stitched up, he returns home, sees the cactus on the window sill and thinks about Edd. He suddenly remembers that Edd was shirtless. He quickly looks at the slightly pixilated photo he took. Kevin felt a little guilty taking that photo but as he keeps looking at it, his lust overpowers his guilt.

He wishes he could put his mouth all over him, leaving hickeys on that long neck and bite marks on his shoulders. He wants Edd to do the same, marking him up too, until he picks him up, feeling how lithe he is in his arms, before he ravages him.

Kevin can't take it anymore. He's stripping on his way to the bedroom and lays down naked on his bed. He runs a hand all over his chest and stomach, pretending it was Edd's hand, trying to image how good it would feel to have Edd's lips on him. He looks back at the picture and begins to fantasize about kissing Edd, and working his mouth down his jawline, then neck, and the rest of his torso, slowly, making him squirm with anticipation. He continues to run his free hand over his body as he wonders what kinds of sounds Edd might make. That is, until he thinks about the sound of his name escaping from those lips in a moment of ecstasy.

This caused Kevin to immediately drop his phone and reach down to his cock with the other hand. He slowly works his shaft, thumb running along the slit, wet with precum. He's trying his damnedest to take his time, and really milk this out for all it's worth, as usual. However, Kevin found out the hard way that lustful thoughts about Edd are too strong of a catalyst. Soon, his mental images of a flushed and naked Edd begin to blur out and Kevin finds himself holding back his moans as he ejaculates onto his stomach.

Kevin takes a few moments to steady his breathing and bask in the afterglow until he realizes he just set himself up. _There's no point to lusting after Edd like this. He lives 4 hours away and is moving_. He cleans himself up and deletes the picture.

. . . . . . .

He takes a powernap, hoping it will help reset his day and keep his focus off of Edd so he can be productive on his day off. But when he wakes up, he sees a missed message from Edd asking if he got that cut taken care of. _So much for not thinking about him anymore_.


	4. Rock Show Sleepover

That Monday at work, Kevin gets a simple bouquet with a note that tells him to get well soon, and that Edd will be in town that Friday, if he doesn't mind making him dinner. Kevin is overjoyed.

They go throughout the week just texting as normal. Kevin rearranges the schedule to have Friday afternoon off, so he can get a haircut, shave, clean the apartment, the works. When he's putting the groceries in the fridge, he realizes what he's doing… he's setting himself up once again.

Edd's being held over at work so it's a late dinner. Kevin thought he wasn't going to show up at one point, but then he gets a call.

"I just got out, it will take about 20-25 minutes for me to get to my car then make it over there. Is it too late?"

 _It sounds like he's panting… is he jogging to his car or something?_ "It's not too late, and don't rush. I'd rather you be safe."

When Edd shows up, Kevin's already downstairs waiting to let him in. As soon as they're in Kevin's apartment, Edd grabs him and examines his face. He checks the cut, seeing that the stitches have already started to dissolve. He then removes Kevin's hat and runs a finger over where the bump used to be. Kevin tries to steady his breath.

"It looks like it's healing nicely." Edd then brushes his hand against Kevin's fringe, and mumbles, "You cut your hair."

"Uh, yeah, today."

Edd snaps his hand back and gives Kevin back his hat. "Looks nice" he whispers, and Kevin blushes. "So, what's on the menu tonight chef?"

While they eat, Kevin brings up Edd's city, asking him about his favorite places and where he likes to go on the weekends. He wants to be more specific about it, maybe hint that he'll be in town next week. Maybe even tell him straight out that he has tickets to a concert in the city for next Friday. He's had them since before he met Edd, about six months prior, but keeps thinking he should hold back. They're just friends. So, he doesn't tell Edd that he'll be in town.

After dinner, Edd says he has to get back to the office.

"But it's already past 8pm…"

"I know, but the more work I can get down now, the sooner this transitional phase can be over with."

Kevin walks him downstairs. Before Edd leaves, he asks if he can call Kevin later tonight, when he's taking a break. Kevin knows he shouldn't keep doing this, but he agrees.

Edd ends up calling a bit too late, so Kevin was already in bed, getting ready to fall asleep. Kevin brings up Edd's city once again but is too tired to muster up the courage to ask Edd if he can see him next week. Edd ends a mini-spiel about his favorite tourist site, the aquarium, with, "it's simply wonderful! I think you'd enjoy it… In fact, you should probably come up here one weekend, and I can take you around the city. That is, if you would like that."

Edd waits for Kevin's response, slowly regretting suggesting such a thing, until he hears it. Kevin's sleep breathing. Edd sighs in relief at the realization that he wasn't rejected, Kevin just fell asleep while on the phone. He smiles to himself before whispering good night and hanging up. _This feels like the high school experience I never got to have._

. . . . . . .

They continue to text that next week, at lunch breaks and at night, Kevin looking forward to it each time. But on Thursday night, he's stressed about talking to Edd.

Kevin pours a glass of Maker's Mark and sits at the table staring between the tickets and his phone. He nurses the first glass, debating on if he should even bother, even get his hopes up. He starts writing a text to Edd, but just stares at it, doesn't send it. He paces around the kitchen. _He's probably busy all day, and will only be free at night, but I'll be at the show that's sold out. So, we won't even be free at the same time, so what's the point of even talking about it?_

He pours a second glass and downs it. He deletes the text. After a few deep breaths he sighs and says, "Fuck it, not worth the heart break," aloud, and calls Edd…

He _calls_ Edd.

 _WHAT AM I DOING?_

He pulls the phone away to hang up, but hears, "Hello, Kevin! How are you?"

He pauses, thumb hovering over the end call button.

"Hello? Kevin?"

Kevin puts the phone back to his ear. "Hey, I was just wondering what you're doing tomorrow?" Kevin says in a manner that sounded like he wasn't sure if that's what he was really wondering.

"I'm working a double shift tomorrow, unfortunately. I'm going to be there until midnight." Edd sighs. "Why do you ask?"

Kevin pauses. "Oh, um, I'm going to a show at The Lounge tomorrow…"

"Oh, that sounds fun!"

"Yeah, was going to see if you wanted to get dinner first or something, but, double shift…"

"Yeah, not unless I can convince you to eat hospital cafeteria food."

"Consider me convinced." _What am I even saying!?_

Edd giggles. "Sounds good. Just call me when you're about ten minutes away, so I can make sure I'm free. I need to get to bed, now."

"Sure thing, Good night."

"Good night, Kevin."

 _Was it the bourbon or did Edd say that kinda sultry-like?_

. . . . . . .

The next day, Kevin called him about 10 minutes out, but apparently, he needed about 30 minutes since there was an emergency right when he hung up. After the crisis was avoided, Edd rushes to the lobby to see Kevin rocking on his heels, hands behind his back, holding the helmet. He's looking the other way, probably assuming Edd would be coming from that direction. If Edd wasn't already late he'd take his time admiring the way those jeans fitted Kevin or the fact that he wasn't wearing his hat… that fringe was still so tempting!

"Hello!" Edd says cautiously.

Kevin glances over his shoulder casually, but when he makes eye contact with Edd, he breaks out into a grin and whips around. "Hey!"

"You ready for some hospital canteen food?"

"Bring on the pudding cups!"

Edd giggles.

They eat, and Kevin tells him about the band, about the first time he saw them in high school, and about other crazy shows he's been to. Edd's super interested and keeps asking questions but Kevin wants to hear about him, so he asks Edd about his experiences.

"I had a friend in high school that would drag me places sometimes, but I haven't really been to a show. Kinda want to go one day though."

"Well, if there's another show before you move, I'll go with you."

"I'd like that."

"So, what else do you like to do."

"Um, I like the beach. I actually stopped by there when I was at that conference last month." Edd giggled. _Maybe if it's not too cold, we could go next time._ "So, what are you doing after the show?"

"Just going to drive back home."

"That late? But won't you be too tired?"

"Nah. I mean, if it's that bad I could get a hotel or just pull over and nap. And I don't have work tomorrow, so it doesn't matter if I sleep in."

"Well, I have a guest room if you need it."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

And Kevin does. When he's waiting for the doors to open, when he's getting his beer, when he's watching the sound check before the first band, whenever there's a set change between bands, he thinks about Edd's offer.

After the final number when people are starting to shuffle out, Kevin just stands there. He's pumped up on adrenaline, and could probably use it for the ride home, but that offer was too good. He checks the time. Only 11:30. So he mills around and takes his time driving to the hospital. When he gets there, he sends a text to Edd to call him when he can. At soon as it turned midnight, Kevin's phone rings.

"Hey. Is that guest room still available?"

"Yes! Of course! Where are you?"

"In visitor parking."

"Stay right there. I'll come find you."

Moment later, he sees Edd pull up in front of visitor parking, and waves at him before following Edd home.

. . . . . . .

Edd's condo is pretty swanky and he's feeling a little embarrassed about his own place, so small and cramped, and covered in faded floral print and none of this white and chrome. When Kevin comments on it, Edd replies with, "I actually feel like your place is more like a home. This feels so cold and desolate at times…"

Edd explains that he has to go back in at 8 am. "They won't let you sleep, do they?"

Edd laughs. "Not at all, but I won't kick you out at 8. You can sleep in if you want and help yourself to anything in the kitchen, though there might not be much. I'll be back at 11:30 for lunch."

And with that, they go to bed.

. . . . . . .

Next morning, Kevin's actually awake when Edd is, but he pretends to be asleep when Edd comes in to check on him. When he leaves, Kevin goes back to sleep.

At 10, he wakes up and wanders the house, learning more about Edd.

Around 11, he starts looking through all the kitchen cabinets and the fridge. Edd comes home half an hour later and immediately notices the smell. He walks into the kitchen to find that Kevin is making spaghetti Bolognese.

"Just in time. There's an open bottle of wine in the fridge… do you mind if I use a bit for the sauce?"

Edd stands there in shock. "No. Not at all!"

Kevin goes and gets it, reducing it in the pan before adding a can of marinara sauce. "I've never used this before," Kevin says holding up the empty can. "I usually use crushed tomatoes, and a few other things, so it's going to be a little different. Hope it's still good though."

"It already smells so amazing, I'm sure it will taste just as good."

As soon as Kevin puts a beautifully plated dish in front of Edd, he takes a bite and _groans._ Even after the meal and a four-hour drive home, Kevin still couldn't get that sound out of his head.


	5. Transfers & a Dinner (not quite a) Date

The last Friday in July, Kevin gets a small bouquet of daisies. There's no card but he's sure he knows who it's from. He calls and thanks Edd. Edd lets him know that he'll be in town the following week. Kevin automatically pulls up his schedule to make sure he's as available as possible. Edd says he has news for Kevin and asks if he can call back that night.

That evening, Edd tells him that there's been a drastic change with his transfer. "So, you know how I was originally supposed to transfer next week to a clinic a few hours away, but that's been put on hold for the past month or so? Well, a better position has just opened up at another hospital!"

"That's great!"

"Yes! I'm excited! So now I'll be moving in three weeks, but this new hospital is even further away. And with the change in transfers and having to find a new place to live so suddenly, there's going to be too much to do. But I'm trying to work it out as best as I can and as quickly as I can."

"Dude. That part sucks though. It sounds so stressful."

"Well, yes, it is. However, it's all worth it. I like this other place so much more. There's a lot for me there… I'm sure I would be happier if I were to move…"

There's a brief moment of silence as Kevin's heart breaks. _Is Edd not happy here with me? Or with life in general? Is this new city he's going to really all that spectacular? …Will I ever get to see Edd again?_

Kevin was about to ask more about Edd's transfer when Edd cuts in, asking him what happened with the lawyer that day. Kevin told him about the meeting regarding who actually owns the garage, and all the paperwork he had to sign, and that was the last thing they talked about before Edd had to go to sleep.

. . . . . . .

On the first Friday in August, Edd was to show up for dinner before the shop closes, but Kevin didn't realize the issue with this until right when Edd was to arrive. Kevin quickly tried to call and tell him to park out back where the residents park, not in the front where the customers park. As he's dialing Edd's number, he runs downstairs to possibly catch Edd before he parks and steer him in the right direction. However, when he makes it to the garage, he can hear Edd's ringtone from the other side. He had inadvertently drawn even more attention to Edd, who was dressed up and holding flowers and grinning at Kevin like no one else was in the room. Kevin strides over to Edd, trying his damnedest to not death-glare at his coworkers who were cat-calling and making crude comments. Edd's grin faulters and he slumps as he apologizes to Kevin for what was currently happening.

"Don't every say sorry for something like that. And don't you worry 'bout it. If you look at who's makin' a ruckus, it's the redheads. My cousins. We don't just fight each other, we embarrass each other. I'm used to it, so it doesn't really bother me. So, don't let it bother you."

Edd looks over his shoulder and sees that it was indeed the two redheads that were making the rudest comments and being the loudest. Everyone else was only grinning but still working on their vehicles.

Edd also notices that Kevin hand was hovering towards his lower back, but he didn't actually feel Kevin's hand there. He turned more and saw that Kevin was trying to keep his hand out of Edd's line of sight while he flipped off his cousins. Edd swatted at Kevin's hand and scolded him, causing the garage to erupt in laughter. Kevin just grinned back at Edd before finally putting his hand on his back, leading him upstairs.

Kevin puts the flowers that Edd brought in the vase at dad's side of the table again. It feels bittersweet, but it makes his heart feel at ease, seeing something beautiful in a spot that usually causes heart ache.

"You really do wear a floral apron every time you cook, don't you?"

"Ya got a problem with it?"

"Not at all, it's actually somewhat hot in an unexpected way."

Kevin blushes and looks away, suddenly more focused on the meal prep than before. "Well, I just don't want to risk messing up my shirt while cooking."

"I totally understand. That green button-up is quite lovely. It compliments your eyes so well."

 _Is he flirting with me? But why? He must enjoy getting my hopes up when he already lives too far away and is about to be even further away in two weeks._

The dinner continues in much of the same manner. They have their usual dinner conversations about work and life, and exchange lame dad jokes, but this time Edd keeps finding ways to flirt with Kevin. He tries to flirt back but half the time he ends up either fumbling over himself or changing the topic.

While washing the dishes, Kevin asks Edd, "So whenever you have to come here for work, where do you stay?"

"The hospital here has a room for doctors to nap in between double shifts and such. I usually go there."

"Like on TV?"

"Yes sir, with the cots and all."

"That's-that's awful!" Kevin dries his hands off and walks over to Edd. "So, I don't have a guest room, but you could have my room. I'll change the sheets and everything. I'll sleep on the couch. I don't mind. I do it all the time, actually." He doesn't wait for a response, and immediately heads to the linen closest to take out the spare sheets.

Edd giggles and says, "I guess I'm staying then. Thank you."

While Edd retrieves his overnight bag from the car, Kevin changes the sheets and quickly changes into his sleepwear, trying to convince himself that he didn't pick out the nicest one all because Edd was there. When Edd returns, he shows him the room and the bathroom before bidding him goodnight and heading to the couch.

That night, Kevin has a hard time falling asleep, constantly thinking about the adorable guy laying in his bed right now. He's mad at himself for putting himself in this situation… and for not giving into temptation.

Edd is having the same problem, wanting to go back into the living room and seeing if he could get away with a goodnight kiss.

. . . . . . .

The next morning Edd walks into the living room to find Kevin with a pillow half on his face, snoring softly, and sprawled out with his shirt rucked up. He wants to touch the abs so badly. He finally tears his eyes away and sees Kevin's hat on the table. He quickly looks back at Kevin and nudges the pillow away. He wants to touch that hair so bad, run his fingers through it, maybe tilt his head back as he kisses his neck and-

Kevin gasps and wakes with a start, clearly waking from a nightmare. He quickly looks over and sees Edd, expression easing.

"Hey man, you up already?" he said in a deep and groggy voice while reaching up his shirt to scratch his stomach, exposing more of his toned body.

Edd's breath catches before he replies. "Y-yeah… I got to head to work now…" Edd says, while lifting his overnight bag slightly to show Kevin that he's ready to leave.

Kevin nods before standing and stretching. Edd stands there and watches Kevin pull Tupperware out of the fridge and bring it to his desk. He scribbles something onto a sticky note and then places it on the Tupperware. Kevin then walks up to Edd, grabs his bag, and heads to the front door, sliding into a pair of flip flops. Kevin looks over his shoulder and just smiles softly at Edd, still not saying a word. Edd follows him quietly out of the apartment, down to the garage, and out to the parking lot to Edd's car. Kevin puts the Tupperware and bag in Edd's backseat before opening the driver side door for Edd. Edd freezes for a moment before walking around the door and hugging Kevin.

"Thank you for everything," Edd mumbles into Kevin's neck, giggling when Kevin shivers because of it.

"No worries, dude. Thanks for coming over," Kevin replies, voice still low with sleep, while timidly patting Edd on the back.

Edd then gets in his car and heads to work, leaving a blushing Kevin behind in the middle of the parking lot.

 _Thank goodness we open later on Saturdays. Having him show up with flowers was enough to cause a ruckus. If they had seen him leave and found out he spent the night, I would never hear the end of it._

. . . . . . .

Once Edd pulled into the hospital, he grabbed the mystery Tupperware from the backseat. Apparently at some point last night, Kevin had packed a lunch for Edd. Edd blushed as he read the sticky note on top. He quickly folded the note and stuck it in his pocket. He felt silly keeping a note that had brief microwave reheating instructions on it but felt justified since Kevin had also wished him a good day at work before signing it with "Kev." Plus, he drew two hearts in the corner. _For such a buff looking guy, he's an absolute softy… I don't know if I want him to be rough or gentle with me…_

. . . . . . .

Around lunchtime, Kevin gets a text. It's just one word but it has completely altered his current mood at work.

Edd: Delicious!

Kevin gets teased for grinning at his phone.

. . . . . . .

When Edd leaves work, he stops by the garage again to drop off the Tupperware, this time making sure he parked out back. "Thanks for lunch, that was awfully sweet of you."

"It was nothing. How was work?"

"Full of paperwork." Edd shrugs. "What about you? Are you off now?"

"It was slower than usual, and yeah. About to head upstairs and wind down for the day."

"That's good. Well, I need to head back home. Thanks again for such an enjoyable night," Edd says while hugging Kevin again. This time Kevin doesn't just pat Edd on the back. He ends up hugging him with both arms while lifting him off the ground. Edd laughs and says, "Mind if I come see you in two weeks?"

Kevin hugs him tighter. "Please do. I'm looking forward to it already."

After Edd leaves, Kevin goes upstairs and showers. Once out of the shower, he sits on his bed and picks up his bedside calendar. He uses this calendar to write down his work schedule, so he can know if he can sleep in without getting out of bed or looking at the blinding light of his phone. But this summer he's also been writing Edd's name down on the days they meet up and drawing flowers on the days he receives them. He draws a flower on yesterday's date next to Edd's name and then adds Edd's name to two Fridays from now.

Kevin then lays down and buries his face in his pillow. It smells different. Like his detergent, but with something else… Edd! This smells exactly like the cologne Kevin smelled when he hugged Edd.

Then it dawns on him. Edd was in his room last night, so he might have seen the calendar. He groans and rolls around in bed, completely embarrassed. The embarrassment is short lived as he ends up cuddling the pillow and wishing it didn't just smell like Edd but was Edd himself instead.

. . . . . . .

On Tuesday, Kevin gets more flowers, but the note isn't nice. Edd's having to move earlier he won't be able to see Kevin next week. But he'll try to make it up to him. Kevin's so bummed that he just sits at home and sulks over the man he never got to have.

Thursday morning, Kevin decides to send Edd flowers. He calls a florist in Edd's town and orders a dozen roses to be sent to Edd's hospital. The note simply says "I hope we can meet again one day. Love, Kevin."

He's taking the plunge.


	6. Welcome Home

_**BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

Kevin buries his face under his pillow. _Learn to read a fucking sign. We open at NOON today. Come back then. Or never. I don't care._

 _ **BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

Kevin suddenly remembers the last time this happened… when he met Edd. _What is this fucking déjà vu bullshit?_

 _ **BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

This time the knocking was accompanied by the sound of Kevin's cell. When he saw that it was his cousin, he groaned and answered with a "The fuck you want?"

"For you to look out your window… it's for you, you lazy a-"

Kevin hangs up on him and shuffles towards his window, looking for the person he will murder for disturbing his sleep. Unfortunately, there's a conflict of interest, since it's the same person he wants kiss and hold close.

"EDD!"

As soon as Edd grins up at him, Kevin runs downstairs. Kevin immediately hugs Edd, picking him up and spinning him around. "What are you doing here!? I thought you were moving away!"

When Kevin sets Edd back down, he finally sees how tired Edd looks.

"I did. Well, I am, right now. Though, I must go back and finish up something next week… But on my way here this morning, I got a call from my old office, saying that flowers were delivered for me, so I had them read the note to me. It made me realize my error, so I decided to come here as soon as possible…"

He hands Kevin a cheap supermarket bouquet with a small card shoved haphazardly inside. Kevin plucks the card out. It was blank and on the inside was an address. Same city, but he didn't recognize the street.

"I realized I told you everything about the transfer and the whole mess it caused, but I never did tell you _where_ I was moving… I'll only be 15 minutes away now! I was-"

Kevin hugs him again, crushing the flowers in the process. Kevin looks behind Edd mid-hug and sees that Edd's backseat is full of stuff. "So, when you said you're moving right now, you mean you're literally on your way to move into your new place?"

"Yes. The movers got most of my stuff yesterday, I was on my way there with the last of it, and to make sure they set up everything correctly."

"So… you've been on the road for the past four hours?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Okay. Go Home."

"WHAT!?"

Kevin laughs and wraps his arms around Edd. "I'm so glad that you're here, and that you're _moving_ here, but right now you need rest. Go home and text me when you make it safely. Then deal with the movers, but that's it. When you're done, just rest." Kevin pulls back and looks at the address on the card again, grinning. "And don't worry 'bout food for the rest of the weekend, just focus on settling in. I'll bring you over some lunch and dinner," Kevin says, waving the card at Edd.

So, Edd does exactly as Kevin asks. Around 1pm, Kevin shows up with a simple baked pasta dish. Edd shows him around the house and points out the back yard with the garden plot. That empty garden plot and the split-level terrace were his selling points. "I saw this and immediately thought how beautiful it can be covered in flowers… Do you mind helping me pick out what plants to get and where to put them?"

Earlier, when Kevin found out Edd was moving closer to him, he jokingly thought his heart was going to burst and that he'll sprain something in his face with all his grinning. Now, he's seriously concerned that it really will happen, or that his happiness could have some serious health issues.

The next day, Edd gets flowers at his new home. "WELCOME HOME XOXO" the card reads. Kevin brings over dinner that night. Edd doesn't mention the flowers even though he's dying to see if the "XOXO" part could be real and not just written.

That Monday, Edd gets flowers at work. The card reads, "Good luck at your new-ish job!" This time it's signed with a heart. They text that night, but don't mention the flowers.

That Tuesday, Edd gets flowers at home again. "Have a safe trip! See you when you get back Sunday!" Edd goes back to his old city one last time that afternoon. He'll be there for a few days getting things finalized. They facetime that night but still don't mention the flowers. This time it's because Edd is distracted by a post-shower, shirtless Kevin.

Wednesday, Edd doesn't get flowers. He knows he's on a business trip and shouldn't expect it. Besides, it's usually Edd who sends flowers to Kevin, not the other way around. Kevin's only started it less than a week ago. Regardless, Edd still feels a little sad. However, his sadness is soon replaced by the good news that a majority the of the final work he needs to do can be brought home and completed, meaning that he can go home on Friday instead of Sunday. Edd calls Kevin that night and tells him. "That's great, babe! I can't wait to see you!" Edd swears his heart literally skipped a beat at the pet name. He's usually not fond of such things, but now he wishes Kevin would call him that all the time.

That Thursday, at work, Edd gets a bouquet. "I have a surprise for you when you get home." Edd gets an entire carafe of coffee for himself and buckles down to complete his work quickly in the hopes of getting home even sooner on Friday.

Edd goes home Friday and is exhausted from a drive made even longer due to road construction, a wreck, and then a wreck in the middle of road construction. He drops his stuff on the coffee table and groans when he realizes he left a bag in the car. _A problem for after I get a cold drink._ Edd then walks by the back door towards the kitchen, backpedaling when his tired brain finally registers what he just saw.

Hanging plants on the back porch. A few new bushes in the back yard. The flower bed already tapered off and cleaned out, with bags of what he assumes to be top soil laying nearby. Kevin had already begun transforming the garden! Edd had no clue what kind of surprised Kevin had in store for him, but this was better than he could even imagine. Edd steps out onto the porch to get a better look. That's when he finds the sheet of paper on the porch table.

 _I got your favorite wine and stuff to make pizzas.  
_ _Come over when you can.  
-Kev_

Edd should really get that cold drink, unpack, shower, change into nicer clothes, and maybe rest his feet for a little bit. Instead, he just grabs his keys and wallet, locks up the house, and heads for Kevin's apartment.


	7. Grow a Pair

Edd pulls in right as Kevin is getting of his bike and taking off his helmet. Kevin jogs up to him and opens the door for him as soon as Edd cuts the engine.

"Hey! How was your trip!"

Edd gets out of his car and hugs him. "Too long. I hope I'm not too early…"

"Well, I did wanna shave and change into something nice before you got here, but I'm still glad you're here."

Edd frowns at him and points down to his oversized t-shirt and basketball shorts. "At least you still look ravishing. I, on the other hand, look like a middle schooler going to gym class."

"Well, now that you mention it-OW!" Edd smacks him on the arm. "Hey! You said it!"

Edd rolls his eyes and heads towards the apartment. "So, where's the pizza stuff. I'm famished!"

"Hold on," Kevin says, jogging to the saddle bag of his motorcycle and retrieving something. He waves a two-winged corkscrew at Edd and follows him upstairs. "Had to go out and get a heavy duty one since I ended up snapping the one-winged one I had a few weeks ago."

Edd sighs. "I guess you can't even reign in your muscles long enough to open a bottle of wine. What a pity!"

Kevin unlocks his door and says, "I'm pretty sure you prefer me that way."

He then lowers himself enough to wrap an arm around Edd's thighs. Before Edd could even process anything, he's being lifted and carried into the apartment. Kevin proceeds to set the corkscrew and his keys down and pull a few things from the fridge before setting Edd down at the kitchen table. The whole time Edd remains quiet, shocked at the usually timid Kevin being so bold. _The most forward he's ever been is with the cards in the flowers he sends. And that's just cute, not forward. What have I done!? …I have opened Pandora's box. Of muscles. And brute strength... I am both turned on and terrified!_

Kevin hands Edd two wine glasses and two bottles of wine. Edd sits in shock for a moment longer before he pops the first bottle and fills their glasses. Meanwhile, Kevin lays out all the food for dinner. When Edd walks over with their drinks, he sees the spread. There's two pizza crust, a bowl of red sauce and a bowl of pesto, a block of cheese with a shredder next to it, and then an assortment of toppings. Edd watches as Kevin finishes slicing up some meat. "Gracious, Kevin, when you said you had 'stuff to make pizzas,' I thought you meant the prepackaged kind… This is amazing! I never thought I'd be so excited for fresh toppings."

"Everything else is fresh too, you know. Made the crusts and sauces this morning before work."

Edd eyes his half-empty glass. "I swear if you tell me you made this wine yourself-"

Kevin laughs. "No, no. I can only make tea and coffee. But you gave me a good idea for my next venture."

Edd chuckles and takes another sip. "So, are we ready to start?"

"Not quite." Kevin jogs to the living room window and plucks a few leaves from a plant. "Basil," he says when he returns.

"I forgot you also grew herbs."

"Yup. What I really want is a vegetable garden. Imagine, having a salad or somethin', but it's made of entirely homegrown veggies!"

Edd melts a little at Kevin's excitement over vegetables, and quickly types a note into his phone to "include herbs/vegs in house garden for Kevin."

They begin assembling their pizza, constantly getting distracted by their conversation. Edd ends up bringing the bottle of wine to the kitchen counter during his animated story about a wine tasting gone wrong. Kevin's crazy tale about a customer who left their dog in the car this morning had them laughing in the middle of the kitchen, completely forgetting for five minutes that they were making dinner.

When they are actually making their pizzas, they kept ending up in each other's space. When Kevin accidently bumps Edd while trying to use the cheese shredder for him, he apologies and complains about his small kitchen. Edd says he doesn't mind and scoots closer, pressing up against Kevin under the guise of reaching for the wine bottle, only to remain up against him after he refilled their glasses.

While Kevin was trying to slide the second pizza off the pizza peel and into the oven, Edd comments, "You know, if you were really concerned about space, we could have just done this at the kitchen table." Kevin gives him the side eye. "Oh? Don't want me calling you out?" Edd teases while peering at him from over his wine glass.

Kevin closes the oven door. "I don't really think it's calling me out when I never said I was concerned about space. This worked out exactly as planned."

Kevin then corners Edd against the kitchen counter, propping an arm on the cabinet door next to Edd's face. He starts to lean in towards Edd, his other arm slowly reaching behind Edd. Kevin then brings his face to the side of Edd's. Edd grips his glass tighter as he holds his breath. Kevin just hold that position for a moment before pulling back, revealing his wine glass that he retrieved from behind Edd. He smirks and raises his eyebrows at Edd as he goes to take a sip. Edd sighs and rolls his eyes, making his way to the kitchen table to get the second wine bottle.

Kevin calls out after him. "Eh, maybe you're right. We should probably do this at your place next time. You got twice as much counter space and that doesn't include the island."

During dinner, Edd and Kevin continue to flirt back and forth. As Edd empties out the second wine bottle into their glasses, he asks, "What ev'r happened to the ssshy Kevin who didn' know howta flirt back?"

"Oh, he's still here. It wasn't that he didn't know how, he was just trying to… maintain defenses… and remain gentlemanly. Do you want me to go back to that?"

"No, no. I think-"

"That's what I thought," Kevin cut him off with a wink. He then gets up and grabs a water bottle from the fridge.

Edd looks over at Kevin's glass of wine, almost a full serving left. He points to it and says, "You didn' finish!"

"Nah. I can tell that my face is startin' to get flushed, which means I'm getting drunk, so I decided to stop an' stick to water for the rest of the night."

Edd considers him for a moment before downing his own glass of wine and reaching for Kevin's. Kevin reaches out towards Edd's hand way too late, his hand hovering in between them. "Edd. Slow down. You don't want to make a mistake or whatever."

Edd waves him off. "Hush. 'mfine. I know my limit!"

They continue to chat for a little longer as Kevin clears the table. Edd then hands him the empty wine glass and giggles at his disapproving face. Kevin sighs. "We should still probably get you some water," Kevin says, heading to the fridge after he places the glass in the sink.

"Sit, sit! I can getit myself!" Edd replies, while standing. Then swaying. Suddenly his cheeriness is replaced by a worried face as his drunkenness finally hits him with his sudden movement. He grabs the edge of the table and slowly lowers himself back down into his chair. "I s'pose mistakes were made after all." Kevin is now holding his sides as he doubles over in laughter.

They decide to watch some TV while Edd sobers up. They lounge out at opposite ends of the couch, chatting while completely ignoring the TV. At one point, Edd goes to the bathroom, stumbling to make it around the coffee table. When he returns, Kevin immediately stands up and pulls him towards his side of the couch. He sits back down in his spot while positioning Edd next to him, pulling him close and wrapping an arm around him.

Later, Edd gets up for water, and stumbles again. Kevin checks the time and then follows him into the kitchen. He grabs Edd's face and studies it. He's flushed, and his eyes look glazed over. There's still wine on his breath. "Dude. I know you live like 15 minutes away now, but I still think you should stay here tonight. It's already late and I don't think you're gonna sober up anytime soon."

"How come you're fine?"

Kevin shrugs. "Irish? Taller? Bigger? Didn't finish my last glass? …and don't think I didn't see you pouring yourself extra sips the whole time. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a bottle and a half to yourself."

"Sorry," Edd says sheepishly.

Kevin grabs his hand and leads him to the bedroom. "Dude, I'm only teasing. I mean, you had fun, right?" Kevin asked, peeking over his shoulder. Edd grins and nods. "Good. Now let's get you ready for bed."

Kevin picked out some sleepwear for himself and for Edd. He hands the clothes to Edd while he goes into the other bathroom to get changed.

After Edd dresses, he remembers that he was trying to get a bottle of water earlier. He grabs a water bottle from the kitchen and ends up crossing paths with Kevin just before entering the bedroom. Kevin stops him, kisses him on the cheek and whispers goodnight. He heads to the couch and gets settled in to sleep. Kevin hears something and rolls over to see Edd shuffling towards him. He sits up and asks what's wrong. Edd leans down and grabs Kevin's face. He's even more flushed now. _Is he actually blushing?_ And he's giggling again. _Wow. He really is drunk._

Edd then kisses Kevin on the cheek and whispers, "Pleasant dreams, Kevin," Breath tickling Kevin's ear. Edd pads back to the bedroom, tripping on nothing at one point.

Kevin does have pleasant dreams. A very pleasant dream that wakes him up. He's panting, and he automatically sticks a hand down his shorts. Kevin keeps hoping that Edd was drunk enough to pass out and that he won't come out and catch him, but then he realizes he doesn't care. _Might be fun. Awkward at first, but I'm sure he'll wanna join. We can maybe-_ And then he cums, with Edd's name on his lips.

. . . . . . . . . .

The next morning, Kevin's in that adorable floral apron again, making French toast. Edd is walking around the living room looking at the pictures and asking questions about Kevin's family, mainly Kevin's mother and father. The conversation continues as they start to eat. Then Edd's phone rings. He's needed ASAP. He sighs and looks sadly at Kevin. "I need to go now, but I have to say something first... I wish I had met your father."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because then he would have told you to stop beating around the bush and ask me out on a real date already." Kevin sat there wide eyed, fumbling on his words. "I'll be free next Friday at five… dinner sounds nice, so does a movie, but I'm okay with whatever you plan."

Edd leaves Kevin's apartment without another word.


	8. Holding Back

The next Friday, Edd gets a small vase at work, with a green ribbon around it. There are three red roses and a note that says "I'll pick you up at your place at 5:30. -Kev" in Kevin's neat block print.

He shows up promptly, but they take a minute leaving. Kevin thinks Edd might be nervous because he seems a little distracted. Edd is distracted, but he's not nervous. More like aroused. When Kevin cleans up, he cleans up good. And, he isn't wearing a hat! Edd wants to run his hands through that fringe and just say to hell with the date, let's go inside and get under the covers.

Eventually, they do make it to their reservation at the Greek restaurant. After they finished the meal and the check was paid, they continued to sit and talk until Kevin suddenly stood up and said they needed to go. On the way to the car, Edd asked what the matter was.

"I was having too much fun and lost track of time… Don't want to be late for the movies." Edd blushed at his excitement that the date wasn't ending so soon.

At the movies, Kevin reaches over and holds Edd's hand part of the way through. Edd feels his heart drop a little when Kevin lets go, but the sadness is short lived when Kevin places his arm around Edd's shoulder. As soon as the end credits start to roll, Kevin removes his arm from Edd and stretches.

"Usually that yawn and stretch trick is for putting your arm around someone, not removing it."

Kevin doesn't reply to Edd's sass this time. Instead, he places a hand on Edd's opposite check and turns his head towards him. Edd's about to ask Kevin what he's doing when he feels Kevin's other hand around the back of his neck, and sees Kevin lean towards him. Edd closes his eyes and feels Kevin's lips press against him. Edd immediately kisses back, placing his hand on Kevin's arms, sliding them up until he has them wrapping around Kevin's neck. Kevin gives him a few more slow, soft kisses before pulling away and standing up. Edd sits there, fingertips lightly touching his warmed lips, until Kevin reaches down for his hand, helping him up.

After they get out of the theater and into Kevin's car, Edd says, "I had a wonder time, Kevin! A part of me wishes it wouldn't end just yet."

Kevin looks over at him and says, "I just stocked up on ice cream today. If you want to, we can go back to my place, and-"

"I want to!"

Kevin laughs and drives them to his apartment.

While they're eating ice cream and watching late night TV, Kevin says, "You know, I wasn't exactly beating around the bush."

"Oh?"

"Well, a little, cause I'm always afraid of rejection, but it's mostly trying to hold back."

"What do you mean hold back?"

Kevin places his ice cream down on the table and wrings his hands. "Well, I didn't want to ask you out on a date since you lived so far away, and I thought you were moving further away. Plus, there's also the physical holding back. I didn't want to cross any boundaries or make you uncomfortable."

Edd gives him a sly smile and scoots closer. "I don't think there's any reason to hold back now…"

Kevin stares at him for a moment before taking the ice cream from Edd and haphazardly putting it on the coffee table. He then grabs Edd and kisses him. Hard. And the kiss doesn't stop. He runs his hand up and down Edd's back. When Edd moans into the kiss, Kevin then slowly pulls up the back of Edd's shirt, using just a few fingertips. When Kevin's fingers are finally touching Edd's bare back, Edd gasps, and Kevin takes this opportunity to do two things. He starts exploring Edd's mouth with his tongue, and his hands starts exploring Edd's skin, starting with the back. When Kevin's hand makes it towards Edd's chest and stomach, he pushes Edd down on the couch. He then gently crawls on top of Edd, resuming the kiss while holding Edd by the hips.

Then Kevin suddenly stops. When he pulls back, his hands are still on Edd, thumbs rubbing on his hipbones. He smiles at Edd who's practically panting now. He gives a quick peck to Edd's kiss swollen lips and pulls back again.

"I've been wanting to kiss you like that since the first time I saw you."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. And this…" Kevin trails off as he kisses Edd again, this time less rough but more passionately. Kevin then trails his kisses down Edd's jaw until he can nibble on Edd's ear. He feels Edd squirm underneath him, hears his low hum as he presses up against Kevin. Kevin can feel that Edd's really starting to enjoy this and continues his trail of kisses down Edd's neck. He unbuttons the top two buttons of Edd's shirt and pulls the collar back. Kevin then begins to leave a hickey, careful to make sure it can be covered by Edd's shirts.

When Kevin ends up sucking on his skin a bit harder, Edd's eyes fly open. He looks down as best he can and sees the top of Kevin's head. Kevin's hatless head. Edd then finally, _finally_ , runs his fingers through Kevin's hair, causing Kevin to fucking _growl_ and stop his assault in Edd's collar bone, scooting back up and kissing Edd on the lips again. As the kiss deepens, Edd tugs gently on Kevin's hair, and Kevin moans as he grinds against Edd. Edd then slowly drags his hand down Kevin's back, aiming to grab his ass and possibly get the angle better between their erections. However, when Edd's hands are on the small of his back, Kevin suddenly pulls back again.

After a few breaths, he says, "and that… that is what I wanted to do since the first time we had dinner together… just half a day after seeing you for the first time…" Kevin then sits up all the way and pulls Edd up so they're cuddling on the couch.

"Well… Yes… I can see what you mean about holding back now… I don't know how I would have handled being kissed like that by my mechanic, no matter how attractive I found him."

They both laugh. They continue to cuddle, upright, on the couch, catching their breath. Finally, Kevin stands up and stretches.

"Maybe we should stop here for tonight. I rather not rush into things."

Edd actually _whimpers_. Kevin whips his head towards Edd and has to take a steadying breath, reminding himself to stick to his guns. "Do you want to me to take you home now… or do you want to sleep here?"

"Here," Edd breathes out, immediately.

Kevin helps Edd up before pausing and picking Edd up, carrying him to the bed. He lays Edd down before walking towards the dresser. Edd closes his eyes and mentally prepares himself for what he's been daydreaming about for months. He feels Kevin sit down next to him on the edge of the bed. Edd opens his eyes and Kevin hands him a nightshirt. Edd slowly takes the shirt from him, looking confused.

Kevin then leans over and kisses him softly. He gets up, says, "Goodnight, babe," and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Edd hears the TV cut off in the living room, and the familiar sound of creaking as Kevin plops down on the old couch. Edd lays there in shock before sitting up to change his shirt and remove his pants. _He was serious about stopping there and taking things slow. He's such a gentleman!_

Edd wants to fuck him even more now.

Edd can't sleep. His body is on fire. Kevin's in the same boat. Kevin takes off all his clothes except his underwear, folding it all and placing them on the coffee table. He silently curses himself for being foolish enough to forget his own sleep clothes. _I mean, this is what I usually wear to bed in the summer… but Edd's here tonight… Heh._ _After what I just started, should I really be worried about gentlemanly appearances?_

As soon as Kevin lays down on the couch, he shimmies his underwear down his thighs. The brief cuddle break was enough to get him down to only half hard, but it doesn't take long before he's fully erect again. A few strokes while remembering the sounds Edd made while pressing up against him did the trick. Kevin then remembered Edd playing with his hair, so Kevin tentatively reaches up with his free hand, runs his finger through his fringe, tugging gently. He bucks up into his own hand a few times, trying not to moan. He then starts shortening his strokes, until most of his attention is on his head, spreading the precum around and running his thumb across that sensitive spot on the underside.

He remembers seeing the hickey on Edd's shoulder as he laid him down on his bed, resisting the urge to crawl in with him and give him a matching one on the other side. He thinks about seeing the rest of Edd's skin and marking it up. He starts to stroke himself again, faster this time. He's breathing heavy as he runs his other hand across his body, imaging it was Edd appreciating his boyfriend's toned body.

 _Boyfriend?_ Kevin suddenly slows his hand, barely stroking his cock at this point, but not actually stopping. _We're not dating… We act like it sometimes, but we're not… I should fix that. Soon._

Once Kevin decided to start working on that in the morning, he resumes rubbing his erection with one hand and teasing the rest of his body with the other. He keeps thinking about dating Edd while he inches closer towards climax. He then thinks about all the usual lustful thoughts regarding Edd. The things he would do to his body, the sounds he would make him make. Then he realizes that these aren't just fantasies, but that he has a real shot of making it happen, considering how the date went tonight, and how it ended.

He then toys with the thought that Edd may have been overly aroused as well. _What if he wants to jack off too? What if he caves in? He could be in there right now, in my shirt, in my bed, pleasuring himself, because of what I did to him on this couch…_ And with that thought and a few strong tugs on his cock, Kevin arches his back as he releases onto his own stomach, groaning out Edd's name, not caring if Edd heard. His feelings are already out in the open, so he doesn't think this is a big deal.

But Edd doesn't hear, because Kevin was right. Edd was in there, doing the same thing. Edd didn't hear his name escape Kevin's lips because he was trying to climax as subtly as possible. His hand over his mouth, trying to stifle himself so he doesn't get caught doing such a thing in someone else's bed.

Kevin cleans himself off and gets dressed again, deciding to wear his undershirt as well in case Edd wakes up first. As he settles back down on the couch, he hears his bathroom sink. _I really need to get that thing fixed. It's so loud._

Kevin closes his eyes on tries to sleep until he bolts up with the realization of why he just heard the sink. _Edd's awake!_ He starts to panic a little. Maybe it was just the adrenaline that was telling him he didn't care if he got caught.

. . . . . . . . . .

The next morning, Kevin dons a floral apron and prepares them a simple breakfast. Afterwards, he drives Edd back home. At the front steps, he pulls Edd up against him and kisses him. He pulls back but keeps his hand on the small of Edd's back, tracing circles.

"Thank you for the wonderful date, Kevin."

Kevin just shakes his head.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm going to take you out on a real date. One where I suggest it and plan it myself. Send me your schedule for the week and I'll let you know when I'm picking you up and what to bring. So, be ready."

Edd nods and Kevin gives him one last kiss before leaving.

 _Pandora's box, indeed!_


	9. Friggin Finally

On the last Friday in August, what some may call the end of summer, Edd finds himself having drinks on the beach and struggling not to stare too much at Kevin in only swim shorts, sun glistening off his sea-soaked skin.

Kevin starts to reapply sunscreen when he hands him the bottle of sun screen and Edd raises an eyebrow at him. _I just reapplied. You know that. So why are you handing it to me?_

"Could you get my back for me? I need to keep my freckle count low." Kevin chuckles.

Edd obliges and rubs sunscreen into Kevin's shoulder, sides, and back for him, wondering how far down those freckles really go.

 _He said he was taking me out on a real date. And I was naïve enough to think a beach date sounded sweet and romantic. Oh, how foolish I was! This isn't a date. This is an assault on my ability to resist doing unholy things to him in public!_

Edd kept having these moments where he felt like he's being cock-teased, unwitting to the fact that Kevin was having the same issue, but with the added benefit that it was his idea so he's the only one to blame for this torture. Regardless of this, they still had a good time walking in the tide, watching the sunset, and making the worlds dinkiest sandcastle.

But Edd's favorite part was when he was in the water with Kevin and was able to keep his hands on him the whole time. You know, so they won't get separated from each other if there was a particularly strong wave. Not because Edd wanted to trace those abs or caress that strong back or feel those strong arms around him. Definitely not. Which is why he kept doing it every chance he got.

After they watched the sunset, Edd suggested they get cleaned up back at his place since he lives closer to the beach.

When Edd gets out of the shower, he puts on a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, and realized that Kevin might not have a change of clothes with him. He quickly grabs the largest pair of PJs he owns and heads towards the guest bathroom but stops when he hears humming from the kitchen. When Edd walks into the kitchen, he is greeted by the sight of Kevin frying eggs over easy at the stove, with minimal attire. No hat. No shirt. Just sweat pants low enough on his hip that Edd can clearly read the brand name on the elastic of Kevin's underwear. _And the assault continues!_

"Do you… do you need a shirt?" Edd asks, inching closer.

"Nah, I got one. But I felt a little burnt on my back, so I put some aloe on. Was waiting for it to dry all the way."

Kevin looks up at Edd and freezes. "Your hair!"

Edd suddenly realized that Kevin has yet to see him hatless and immediately tries to hide his hair behind the spare pajamas.

"Nope! No, sir! Don't hide that from me now!" Kevin puts down the spatula and closes the gap between them in two strides. Edd drops his hands and blushes at the intense look Kevin is giving him. Kevin tentatively reaches up with one hand. "May I?"

Edd nods and then shudders at the sensation of Kevin running his fingers through Edd's hair.

"I knew your hair was black, but I never imaged it to be so thick and wavy… and it's incredibly soft too!"

"You should… you should check on the food."

"Right. But I'm playing with your hair later."

Edd nods and leaves to put up the spare PJs.

 _Suggesting we come back to my place is either the best idea ever or the worst thing I could do for my mental stability._ Edd recollects himself and pull on the hat. _I can't believe I got this turned on just from him playing with my hair. I usually just wear these things because my hair is so unmanageable, but now I have to in order to protect my self from inappropriate physiological responses around Kevin!_

When Edd returns to the kitchen, he opens a drawer next to Kevin and pulls out an apron. He unfolds it and holds it out to Kevin. "I've decided that it's about time you had one for here."

Kevin looks at the apron, covered in drawings of flowers with their scientific names written next to them, as if someone had used the apron as a nature journal. "Dude. This is awesome!" Kevin grins at Edd while putting the apron on.

Edd shrugs. "Well, I figure you're here often enough cooking dinner for us that you should be properly adorned."

Kevin nods and turns back to the stove to check on the food. "Hey, Edd?" Edd hums in response as Kevin starts turning off all the burners. "So, there's something I wanted to do while at the beach, but I kept getting in my own way." He then turns to Edd and pulls him close. "So, um… How would you feel about me making dinner for you every night from now on?"

"Oh no! I couldn't possibly ask you to do that! That would become quite the hassle-"

"Edd. That's not what I'm trying to say," Kevin says, hanging his head and sighing heavily.

"Oh… then what do you mean?"

Kevin clears his throat and starts to blush. He looks Edd in the eyes and says, "I wanna make this official. Will you go out with me?"

Edd leans up and kisses Kevin gently on the lips. "Yes! Of course!"

Kevin pulls him into a tight hug and nuzzles into his neck. Although it was muffled, Edd was pretty sure he heard "You make me so happy." Kevin then pulls away so he can plate the food and remove his apron.

Edd walks to the table and asks, "So what's on the menu for tonight, Mr. Chef?"

"Brinner!"

"Brinner? What is brinner?"

Kevin sets the plates down at the kitchen table and shakes his head as he takes his seat. "I don't think this relationship is gonna work out, if you don't know what breakfast for dinner is," he says trying to stifle his grin. Edd just rolls his eyes and swats at him.

After their meal, Kevin helps Edd wash the dishes. "You know, you could spend the night if you want…"

"Edd, as tempting as that is, I still think I need to take this slow…"

 _So how is remaining shirtless the whole time taking things slow?_ "Well, how about stay just long enough to watch a DVD with me. Then you can go be chivalrous in your apartment." Edd smirks at Kevin while he dries the last plate.

Kevin laughs out a sigh and smiles, "Fine. One DVD. But then I'm going home. To be chivalrous, apparently."

Edd quickly rushes over to the living room to pick out a DVD. As soon as he gets it set up, he turns to see Kevin already settled in the middle of the couch. Edd goes to sit down next to him, but Kevin pulls him onto his lap, nuzzling up against him. Kevin seems content to watch the movie while gently holding Edd in his lap the whole time. But after a few minutes, Kevin needs to stretch out his back, and in doing so, he repositions Edd slightly. Kevin turns Edd so he's now sideways on his lap, and then he wraps an arm around his waist while draping the other arm across Edd's legs. Edd relaxes against Kevin who immediately reciprocates by placing his head against Edd's shoulder.

Edd can't seem to keep his focus on the movie now. He starts to trail his hand along Kevin's chest, until he realizes that Kevin's got just enough sun today that Edd can apply a little bit of pressure to leave a fleeting white mark on Kevin's skin. Edd keeps poking at Kevin's chest and shoulders until Kevin gives him the side eye and pushes him off his lap and onto the couch. Edd stares him down and considers his next point of attack. He goes straight for the hip bone, poking at the flesh just inside the arch. Kevin squeals and jumps to the side. He slowly turns his head toward Edd, look of horror on his face. Edd's face forming an evil grin.

"Oh ho ho! I do believe Mr. Muscles has a physical weakness. I must test this hypothesis!" Edd then proceeds to attack both of Kevin's hipbones this time. The results. Were. Fantastic! Kevin squirmed and laughed loudly, turning even redder. He ineffectively batted at Edd's hands, twisting and turning to get away from Edd who was crawling on top of him to make sure he couldn't get away. Even after Edd ceased his attack, Kevin kept laughing, though it quickly died down to softer giggling, interrupted by his attempts to catch his breath. Edd sat straddled across Kevin's lap and he wiggled his fingers menacingly at him.

Suddenly, Kevin has an evil grin and Edd freezes. Within seconds, Kevin's got Edd pinned down on the couch, and he's returning the favor. Edd's now giggling and squirming and trying his hardest to tickle Kevin back. Eventually he manages to get halfway out from under Kevin and get a good grip on Kevin's side that causes him to close his eyes, throw his head back, and just laugh. Soon, Edd relents, and Kevin slowly looks back down on Edd. Edd prepares himself for another round, but Kevin decides to go for a different kind of attack.

He grabs Edd and kisses him. As he deepens the kiss, he wraps an arm around Edd's waist, while cradling Edd's head with the other arm. Without warning, Kevin stops the kiss and flips them over so Edd's now completely on top of Kevin. Kevin pulls him closer until they're kissing again. Edd starts to run his hands all over Kevin's shoulders and chest as he grinds down onto him. Kevin starts to let his hands wander as well, until the reach the top of Edd's pajama pants. Kevin tugs at them and Edd gasps, stopping the kiss. Kevin stares at Edd for a moment, brows furrowed. Kevin relaxes his face and swallows a lump in his throat before saying, "I know I said I wanted to take this slow… but, can I…?"

" _PLEASE_."

Kevin groans and sits up, still holding Edd so he's straddling his lap again. Kevin slides his hand up Edd's sides, slowly lifting the shirt in the process. He stops halfway and raises an eyebrow at Edd, seeking permission. Edd nods fervently, and Kevin removes the shirt. With one hand he pulls Edd's head towards him for another kiss. The other hand he works between them to undo the knot on Edd pajama bottoms. As soon as Kevin felt the tie give way, he places his hand on Edd's stomach and slowly drags it down, and wiggles his fingers between Edd's underwear and pants. Kevin continues to slowly move his hand down, until he's cupping Edd's erection through his underwear. Edd gasps into their kiss as Kevin starts to slowly rub him through his underwear. Edd tangles his fingers in Kevin's hair and his other hand seeks purchase on Kevin's shoulder. Kevin groans at the feeling of Edd playing with his hair.

When Kevin realizes that Edd has precummed enough to soak through his underwear, he slips his hand inside and starts stroking Edd directly. Edd breaks the kiss and moans, throwing his head back and tightening his grip on Kevin's shoulder. Kevin shudders at the sight before tugging Edd's clothes down enough to free his erection from the fabric prison. Once he gets his hand back on Edd's cock, he immediately quickens his pace. Edd slowly rolls his head forward and looks at Kevin, who stares back in amazement at how little time it took to make Edd look so wrecked. Edd leans forward and kisses Kevin gently, before pulling back just enough to speak. "It's not fair," he says, his breath ghosting against Kevin's lips. "I want to touch you too…"

Kevin slows his pace as he processes what Edd just said, then stops and gently maneuvers Edd off his lap and onto the couch. Kevin stands up and removes his clothing, Edd taking the time to do the same but still watching Kevin the whole time. Kevin then resumes his original position on Edd's couch and pulls Edd towards him. Edd straddles his lap again and starts kissing him while his hands explore every inch of Kevin's bare skin that he can reach.

As soon as he feels Kevin's tongue against his lips, he deepens the kiss and slides his hands down towards Kevin's erection. Kevin groans and quickly slides his hands up Edd's legs until he's gripping Edd's ass. Edd's breath catches in his throat when he feels the weight of Kevin's erection in his hand, how hard and warm it is. With one hand he strokes Kevin's length, and with the other he teases the head of it, spreading the precum across the velvety skin with just his fingertips.

Kevin massages Edd's ass as he continues to kiss him, before slowly sliding his right hand back towards Edd's neglected erection. The instant Kevin touches Edd's cock, Edd halts his hands, pulls back from the kiss, and _whimpers_. Kevin uses his left hand to pull Edd closer to him while making the same growling sound from the night they talked about holding back. Edd whimpers again, but this time it's stifled by Kevin kissing him hard. They continue to jerk each other off, alternating between locking lips and staring into each other's eyes while panting. Finally, Edd moans out, "K-Kevin, I think I-"

Kevin cuts him off removing Edd's hand from his dick and spreading his legs. Edd loses his balance and slips between Kevin's legs, his knees going up over Kevin's thighs. Edd was about to ask what was going on when Kevin pulls Edd towards him until he felt their erections rub up against each other. Kevin then wraps his hands around both of their dicks and starts to stroke again. Edd gasps and wills himself to not climax so that he can enjoy this moment for a little longer. But the feeling of Kevin's hands and his cock rubbing against his own cock was becoming unbearable, and soon he's cumming down Kevin's hands. Kevin continues to stroke the two of them until Edd is completely spent. Then removes his hands from the two of them and leans back.

Edd watches as Kevin grips Edd's leg with one hand and replaces the other hand on his cock, stroking himself. His hand was a blur but Edd could still tell that his semen was on Kevin's knuckles. Edd rips his eyes away from the sight to look back up at Kevin, slack-jawed and panting. Edd runs both his hands through Kevin's hair as he leans forwards and kisses him. Edd felt the exact moment Kevin climaxed, through the way he moaned into the kiss, the way he shuddered against Edd, and the sudden hot stickiness on his stomach. Edd breaks the kiss and continues to toy with Kevin's hair, watching him as he comes back down from his high.

Kevin finally grins at Edd and chuckles. "Well… that was something…" Kevin says before giving Edd a chaste kiss.

Edd laughs and gets up off of Kevin's lap, allowing himself a moment to stretch out his legs. "It certainly was. Now wait here for a moment and I shall get you a wet washcloth."

After they get cleaned up and redress, Kevin heads into the guest bathroom to retrieve his beach bag.

"You're leaving already"

"I said I'd stay for one DVD, but considering how much of it we missed, we'd probably have to start it over… and I'm too old to be up that late."

Edd pouts but stands to walk Kevin to the door. "Well, I guess I should let you go home and rest… since you're so old…"

Kevin laughs. "I'm not that old. Could probably do a repeat of what just happened if you give me 30 minutes." Edd's smirk quickly faded into a look of shock. Kevin giggled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Actually," Kevin says while wrapping an arm around Edd, "with how hot you look, it might only take 20 minutes." He lowers his hand to grip Edd's butt while giving him another quick kiss. "But that's another reason I should go…" Kevin lets go of Edd, turns around, and opens the door. As he steps out he gives a quick wave to Edd while whispering, "Sweet dreams, Edd," before shutting the door behind him.

As Kevin makes his way to his apartment, Edd stands there in his foyer, slightly aroused and slightly in shock at how Kevin can do this to him. Repeatedly.


	10. Rainy Routines

True to his word, Kevin makes dinner for Edd every night, or at least he tries considering that's a hard goal to accomplish when there are things such as business trips and that one awful sinus infection that had Kevin stuck in bed for three days.

It is now the first Friday in October and the weather has finally started to get cooler from the summer months when Edd and Kevin first met. Maybe a bit too cool. Edd is curled up in a blanket on Kevin's couch, still pouting about the "slight chance of rain" becoming a thunderstorm. Not only did it cause their botanical garden date to get cancelled (again), but Edd forgot his umbrella in the car, so he got soaked when he ran to his car after work. Edd had already taken a hot shower and stolen Kevin's flannel pajamas, but he was still wrapped up and sulking on the couch. Kevin chuckled to himself and just let Edd be while he continued to wash the vegetables for the side salad.

Once done, he plopped down on the couch next to Edd. "Aren't you a bit old to be brooding like some angsty teenager?"

Edd just scowled at him for a moment before removing the blanket and mumbling, "I was getting hot anyways."

Kevin just laughed and pulled him closer, taking advantage of a hatless Edd and ruffling up his hair. "C'mon now. We can go tomorrow or on Sunday. No need to sulk over it."

"I know. I was just really looking forward to it. And knowing you," Edd gestures towards the wall of floral decorations, "you were probably more excited for it."

Kevin squeezes Edd and then runs a hand through his hair, knowing it was the fastest way to soothe him. "Eh. Yeah, probably… but I'm still here with you so date night is still a success in my opinion." Edd grins and kisses Kevin on the cheek. "So, there's a chance that I might be working less hours at the garage soon, because of a job opening at the high school."

"Oh? Do tell!"

"Well, seems the football coach going to make this his last year, and they want someone to come on now to get a feel for it instead of just hiring someone for next season."

"That sounds great! But you look apprehensive about something."

"Yeah. There is one catch… I can't-" Suddenly the boom of the thunder shook the apartment, startling both Edd and Kevin. Before Kevin could continue speaking, the power cut out. After a few moments, Kevin curses under his breath, squeezes Edd's hand, and stands up. "Wait here, babe. I'll be right back." Edd sat patiently and listened to the sounds of Kevin walking around the apartment and the rain on the window. Soon, he heard a small _**-click-**_ and saw a flame appear near the table. More small flames kept appearing as Kevin kept bringing candles to the living room and lighting them. Soon, Kevin plops down on the couch and groans.

"Is it your turn to _brood_ now?"

Kevin flings himself across Edd's lap. "I guess so." Kevin sighs. "The manicotti still has 45 minutes left. There's no way it's gonna cook all the way on residual heat."

"Oh my. I didn't even think of that. Guess we'll have to find something else to do until the power comes back on."

"Like what? Cause brooding sounds good right now."

Edd grabs Kevin hand and brings it up to his mouth. He kisses each fingertip before saying, "So, tell me, this new coaching job… what was the catch?"

"Ah. Yeah. So apparently I would also have to teach a class and-" Kevin halts his reply because Edd had proceeded to lick Kevin's index finger a few times before sucking it into his mouth. Kevin immediately scrambles to get up. "Eddward! What are you doing!?"

Edd removes the finger and lets it trail down his chin, still holding onto Kevin's hand. "Asking you about your job, obviously. So, what would you teach? Shop, Phys Ed, History, or something entirely different?"

"I, um… it would have to be History because the whole thing with my Bachelor's and getting certified to teach high school… and… there's a one year… um, program…?" Kevin started trailing off, unable to keep focus on his explanation because Edd had once again distracted him.

This time he crawled on top of Kevin and started kissing his neck while tangling his fingers in Kevin's hair. Kevin moans and grabs Edd by the chin, forcing his face up towards him. They crash their mouths together, but the desperate kiss soon turns gentler, each man taking his time to appreciate the feel of the person in front of him. Soon, Edd feels Kevin unbuttoning his shirt, so he breaks the kiss to help the process along. Once unbuttoned, Kevin takes a moment to push the coffee table further away. "I don't want to get interrupted by a fallen candle turned house fire."

Edd was about to comment on his ability to be so responsible in such a heated moment but was cut off by Kevin trying to remove the pajama bottoms. Within seconds, Kevin had them both naked and laying on the couch, with Kevin on top of a breathless Edd. As they started to make out, Kevin could feel Edd's growing arousal against his thigh. Soon they were feeling each other up with great urgency while grinding against one another.

Suddenly Kevin stopped and worked his way down Edd's body slowly, leaving a trail of kisses along the way. To Edd's displeasure, he bypassed Edd's cock, and continued down Edd's right leg, before stopping at the knee and working his way back up the inside of Edd's leg. Once Kevin completed the same trail on Edd's left leg, he finally, _finally_ , started kissing and licking Edd's length before taking all of it into his mouth. Edd immediately bucked up into Kevin's mouth, moaning all the while. Kevin continued to suck Edd off while fondling his balls with one hand. His other hand was pressed against his own erection, since smelling his own body wash on Edd's skin was doing something to his hormones and making his need more intense than usual.

After a few minutes, the power suddenly cut back on, and both men groaned at the annoyance of being unprepared for the sudden bright lights. Edd's annoyance grew when Kevin stopped his oh-so-pleasurable actions with his mouth and stood up. He proceeded to blow out all the candles and then go into the kitchen to fiddle with the stove.

When he returned to the couch, he grabbed Edd by the hand and led him to the bedroom. As Kevin pulled back the covers, Edd took the opportunity to smack Kevin's ass. Kevin immediately turned around and glared. Before Edd could process if Kevin was really mad or not, Kevin had picked him up, tossed him onto the bed, climbed into bed himself, and started to suck him off again. Edd ran his fingers through Kevin's hair and watched as his boyfriend fervently pleasured him with just his mouth. Edd loved the gentle side of Kevin, but those random moments when he was a bit rough were such a big turn on, so it didn't take Edd long to climax after the way he was tossed into the bed. After Kevin swallowed and wiped his mouth, he crawled up the bed and laid next to Edd, holding him closer. Edd soon caught his breath and made movements to reciprocate, but Kevin kept him in place.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah, I just… I mean, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the blow jobs and hand jobs a lot… like really, _really_ , enjoy them… but I kinda want… more… I mean, if you're okay with-"

"I'm sure I'd be okay with whatever you wanted to do, but is there something specific you had in mind?"

Kevin scratched the back of his head and says, "Um… well for starters… I kinda want to put my mouth… in other places…"

Edds eyebrows fly up. "Yes. Yes, please. Just tell me what you want me to do."

Kevin stares at him for a moment, before saying, "Lay on your stomach," his voice suddenly ragged. Edd did as he's told, and soon feels Kevin's hands rubbing his ass. Kevin then leans up and starts kissing Edd's back in random places, before dragging his tongue down his spine. He stops at the small of Edd's back and proceeds to kiss and lick at the skin there while still kneading Edd's ass. Kevin's mouth still had a few more inches to go but Edd was already writhing around and moaning into the pillow. At one point, Edd's brain must have short circuited, because he doesn't recall how Kevin went from teasing the small of his back to licking Edd's hole with long broad strokes. Suddenly, Kevin started dipping his tongue into Edd, causing him to groan and buck into the mattress. Edd could feel the reverberations as Kevin pulled his tongue back and giggle.

"You enjoying this?"

"God, _yes_!" Edd said with a groan, gripping the pillow tighter.

Kevin laughed again before spreading Edd's cheeks further apart with his hands. He massaged Edd's ass with his hands as he started flicking his tongue against Edd's hole again. Edd was trying his hardest but failing to stop from squirming around so much. He lifted up his head and peered over his shoulder. Kevin had his eyes closed as he continued to lick Edd. Kevin stopped for a second to get a better grip on Edd. As he goes to start his oral assault again, he looks up and locks eyes with Edd. Edd could barely see the grin on Kevin's face before he starts thrusting his tongue inside him again. Edd slams his head back down on the pillow, making needy noises in time with Kevin.

After a while, Kevin stops briefly to ask, "You still doing good?" but starts licking Edd again immediately.

It takes a moment but Edd finally replies, "no…"

Kevin immediately freezes before removing himself from Edd and crawling up the bed. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Edd just grabs Kevin's hand and guides it between his stomach and the bed. Then Kevin feels it. Edd is rock hard, throbbing, and dripping wet, just like the first time Kevin ever touched him there. Kevin jerks his head up at Edd who looks completely wrecked. "Kevin, please… there's lube and condoms in my overnight bag…"

Kevin stares at him wide eyed and swallows. "Are you sure you want-"

"Kevin, I've been sure since the first time you kissed me. _Please_ just-"

"Right! On it!"

Kevin leaps from the bed and grabs the supplies from Edd's bag on the other side of the room. When he gets back on the bed he flips Edd over onto his back before positioning himself between Edd's legs. Edd watches Kevin lube up his fingers before reaching down below Edd. He whines as he feels Kevin spread the lube around his entrance.

"You ready?"

Edd nods his head and holds his breath as Kevin works the first finger inside him. After a few moments, Kevin slowly adds another finger and starts to do a scissoring motion to stretch Edd out. Edd grits at the sensation but soon starts panting again. Kevin twists his hand around and starts slowly thrusting in and out, feeling his way inside Edd. At one point, Edd cries out and arches his back off of the bed. Kevin pauses before repeating the motions. Edd once again cries out but this time he just throws his arms down on either side of him and grips the sheets.

"Good to know," Kevin chuckled before removing his fingers for a moment. He then reenters with three fingers this time and Edd tries his hardest stifle any sounds of pain. Luckily, Kevin eases him through it. His motions are very slow and careful, as he caresses Edd's thigh with his free hand, all the while offering words of encouragement. Finally, Edd starts relaxing against Kevin's fingers, and within moment, he's rocking back onto Kevin's hand, fucking himself.

Kevin slowly removes his hand and crawls up to kiss Edd. "You ready?"

"Yes, Kevin. Please," Edd pants out.

Kevin rolls on a condom and covers it in lube. He reapplies some to Edd's entrance before lining himself up. He slowly eases his way in, keeping in eye on Edd's reaction so he knows when to slow down or stop. He was almost fully inside when the power cut off with a loud **CRACK**. Kevin jerked in surprised and groaned inwardly as he realized his error.

"Edd, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Do we need to stop?"

He felt Edd's hands on his shoulder, pulling him down. Kevin obliged and was a little started to be greeted by a very passionate kiss. When Edd pulled away he said, "I'm fine. The worst of it was already over, but please, don't move just yet."

"No problem. Just let me know when you're ready."

He leaned over further to kiss Edd again, careful not to add any extra pressure. While they made out, he could feel Edd squirming, trying to adjust to the feeling of Kevin inside of him. Edd kissed up Kevin's jawline before nibbling on his ear. He stopped and whispered, "Ready to be ravaged when you are."

Kevin growled and pulled most of the way out. He took deep breaths to steady himself as he carefully thrusted in and out of Edd, ensuring that he really was okay to proceed. When he heard Edd moaning in pleasure, he realized it was safe to "ravage," and slammed back into Edd.

"OH! Yes!" Edd groaned out.

Kevin held Edd by the hips as he continued to thrust into him. After a few minutes, he leaned forward and worked one arm under Edd's back, holding him close. With his other arm he cradled Edd's head as he kissed him. Edd wrapped one arm around Kevin, feeling up his back as the muscles flexed with each thrust. With his other hand he toyed with Kevin's hair or caressed his check and neck. If Kevin angled his hips just right, he can feel Edd moan against his lips.

At one particularly hard thrust, Edd broke the kiss by tossing his head to the side with a load moan. Kevin took this opportunity to latch his mouth onto Edd shoulder, leaving two hickeys in the process.

When he felt Edd reach down towards his cock, Kevin sat back up, removing his arms from around Edd and holding him by the hips again. He worked on finding Edd's prostrate, and when he did (as signaled by Edd gasping out, "Kevin! Yes!" while flailing his free hand to grip at the headboard), he did not relent. Kevin maintained that angle the entire time Edd jerked himself off and moaned loudly with each thrust.

"Kev! I'm about to…"

Kevin started panting harder as he tried to increase his pace, but it only took a few more thrusts before Edd came all over his stomach while moaning out Kevin's name.

Kevin slowed his pace, starting to tire himself, and resumed the previous position of holding Edd in his arms. He continued to thrust into Edd while murmuring sweet nothings into the crook of his neck. It didn't take long before Kevin's motions became more erratic as he finally climaxed, pressing his mouth against Edd's shoulder to muffle his voice.

Kevin slowly pulled himself up enough to pull out of Edd who hissed at the sensation. Kevin was on his hands and knees, hovering over Edd for a moment, before rolling over with a loud sigh. After he caught his breath, he rolled over on his side and kissed Edd on the forehead. "Still pouty about getting rained on?"

"Gracious, no! If anything, I'm now tempted to dispose of all my umbrellas to see if that's correlated with mind-blowing intercourse."

Kevin breathed out a laugh before kissing Edd. After a few minutes of making out, Kevin pulled back and asked, "Want me to get you a wash cloth?"

Edd sat up in bed and said, "Please! This was a bit sexy in the moment but now it's just gross."

Kevin laughed loudly as he padded off to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and get a few washcloths.

"Messy, messy, messy," Edd mumbled unhappily as he cleaned himself up.

After Kevin dropped the used washcloths in the clothes hamper, he crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up over the both of them. "I don't know about you but I'm a little tired now."

"I guess you are getting old after all."

Kevin rolled halfway on top of Edd and growled. "Well if you're already good to go for a second round, let's go!"

"Wait, wait, wait! You're not the only one getting old! Rest sounds just perfect right about now."

Kevin chuckled as he laid back down. He snuggled close, burrowing his face in Edd's hair and smelling the citrusy shampoo he uses. Kevin then drapes an arm across Edd and they both drift off to sleep.


	11. Full Circle

They awoke with a start less than an hour later when the power came back on along with the lights in the bedroom. Kevin and Edd both tried to burrow under the pillows and blankets some more, but then Edd's stomach growled, loudly. Kevin patted Edd's tummy and said, "Let's go fix that," before getting up out of bed.

He was pulling a pair of basketball shorts out of the dresser when Edd said, "Kevin! Don't!"

"Why?"

"Don't ruin the view!"

Kevin turned to see Edd peaking out from under the covers with a pleading look. Kevin responded with his own annoyed look before putting the shorts back into the dresser and walking out of the bedroom. Edd sat up in bed, a little shocked that Kevin had listened and was walking around stark naked. He wanted to go and appreciate the view, but movement was not completely possibly at the moment. He wasn't in pain, per se, but his muscles were stiff, and he did ache a little when he tried to get up. After a few minutes of trying to stretch and limber up, Edd was now able to get out of bed, slide into a pair of Kevin's shorts, and shuffle off into the apartment to find a hopefully still naked Kevin.

In the kitchen, Kevin was cutting up a cucumber when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He looks up and sees Edd, instantly grinning, but his grin instantly turns to a scowl as he glances downward. "Oh, I see. You can wear pants, but I can't?" Kevin huffed out.

Edd was about to protest that Kevin was dressed too, when Kevin turns around to grab the egg timer. That's when Edd sees it. All of it. Edd thought that Kevin was dressed because of that damned floral apron, but now he can clearly see that the apron was the only thing he's wearing.

Edd remains frozen on the spot, while Kevin finished up making the salad. "I figured we can eat this first while we wait on the manicotti to finally finish."

"You know, I'm actually not that hungry anymore…"

Kevin snaps his head up, "Really? Are you… are you okay?"

Edd just nods and tries his best to saunter over to Kevin even though his backside is still tender. "Mmhmm. It's just that… the first time I saw you in this," Edd tugs at the apron strap, "I had several inappropriate thoughts regarding things I would do to you while you were wearing it."

Kevin looked genuinely surprised. "R-really?"

"Oh yes. And seeing you in this now… with nothing else on… I figured we might act upon at least one of those thoughts… unless you really want to munch on some vegetables first?"

Kevin immediately shoved the salad bowl haphazardly into the fridge, before spinning back around towards Edd. He points to the egg timer on the counter. "You have until that goes off to do whatever it is you have planned."

"Perfect," Edd purrs out as he gently pushes Kevin back against the fridge. Once he had him pinned, Edd pressed up against him and started kissing him passionately. Kevin immediately started running his hands all over Edd.

After making out and grinding against Kevin for a while, Edd could feel that Kevin was getting hard, so, he dropped to his knees. He looked up at Kevin and locked eyes as he slowly pushed the apron to the side and placed his mouth on Kevin's cock. Kevin runs one hand through Edd's hair while trying to find purchase with the other. Edd doesn't tease him and slowly build up like he usually does. This time he only takes a few moments to get Kevin nice and wet before deep-throating him. Within the next few minutes, Kevin has cracked open the freezer door twice, slammed his head against the fridge, and pulled a coupon book off from the top of the fridge, all from trying to steady himself against Edd's oral prowess. Edd was loving the way Kevin looked so undone until Kevin suddenly had this look of terror on his face and pulled Edd upright.

"What's wrong?"

"Your knees. You're probably still sore from earlier, and this linoleum is most likely not helping by making your knees sore as well."

"Although you're right and it's much appreciated, I'm a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to distract you from thoughts of _linoleum_."

Kevin shakes his head and pulls Edd close. "It's not like that and you know it. I was actually trying to prevent myself from cumming too soon, so I tried to think about what I did today, which meant I thought about what we did earlier… and how you're probably still sore and… yeah… I got worried…"

"Well, mission accomplished," Edd sassed, as he poked at Kevin's penis, slowly becoming flaccid.

"I'm game to try again if you are, as long as you're in a more comfortable position."

Edd kisses him on the check and whispers, "Bed?"

Kevin immediately picks him up, tosses him over his shoulder, and carries him out of the kitchen. A few steps into the hall, Kevin freezes and asks, "Do I still have to wear the apron?"

Edd tugs the bow tighter on Kevin's apron before yelling, "Yes!"

Kevin shrugs and continues towards the bedroom.

Once they're both back in bed, Edd pushes Kevin to lay down flat as he begins rucking up the apron. Within moments, Edd has Kevin fully erect again. After a while, Edd stops and gets up off the bed, and removes his shorts. He climbs back on top of Kevin and tugs on the apron straps until Kevin sits up. "Want to try another one of those aforementioned inappropriate apron thoughts?"

Kevin nods and kisses Edd lightly on the lips. Edd leans over and grabs the lube and strip of condoms from the nightstand. "Edd, you sure about this? Maybe you should take it easy and-"

"I'm fine. Stop your fussing. Trust me, if it hurts too much, I'll say stop," Edd replies as he rolls a condom onto Kevin's cock. Kevin nods and helps Edd get lubed up again. Edd then sits up on his knees and begins to slowly lower himself onto Kevin's cock.

Kevin remains sitting up as Edd gradually readjusts. He runs his hands all over his body and trails kisses along Edd's neck and shoulders until Edd starts moving at a steadier pace. Kevin had already left two hickeys on Edd earlier today but decided a third one was in order. As he was marking up his lover, Edd established a good rhythm that resulted in rubbing his cock against Kevin's abs with each movement.

Kevin caught himself getting distracted and decided to return the favor by putting his hands in Edd's messy hair and tugging lightly. Edd moaned loudly and ended up shifting his hips just enough to cause Kevin to freeze in pleasure when he felt himself go deeper inside Edd. Kevin just sat there staring at Edd, slack jawed and panting, until Edd grabbed him by the face and kissed him hard. They continued like this for quite some time, making out, caressing each other with their hands, and appreciating each other's bodies as Edd rode Kevin. At one point, Edd pulled away from a kiss while still gently biting Kevin's bottom lip. Kevin loved the way Edd would tease his lips while making out, but in the middle of saying so, he was interrupted. There's was a strange sound and Kevin grabbed Edd's hip to slow him down, so he can figure out what was ruining their slow, passionate time together.

"The egg timer, Edd…"

Edd just hummed but continued to ride Kevin, trying to lean in for a kiss before his eyes widen at the realization of what was going on, or won't be going on anymore. "No! Don't you dare!"

"Well, in that case, lets make sure you get off…" Kevin falls back down onto the bed, laying flat, and grips Edd by the hips. "You don't mind it a bit rough, do you?"

"Not at all!"

"Cool… You ready?"

Edd nods, prepared to ride Kevin until he cums, but then Kevin starts thrusting, and hard. He's bucking up into Edd so hard, he's lifting himself off the mattress as he practically bounces Edd on his dick. Edd throws his hands over his mouth to stop the shouts of pleasure before falling forward slightly to hold onto Kevin's hand still on his hips, so he can maintain his balance. However, this new position gave Kevin better access to hitting Edd's prostrate with each thrust. It doesn't take long before Edd shouts aloud, ejaculating across the floral apron Kevin was still wearing.

Kevin slowed his pace until he was certain that Edd was all wrung out. He slowly lifted Edd up off himself, and then Edd plopped down on the bed next to him, still panting. Kevin quickly took off the condom, jacked himself off with just a few strokes, and cleaned up the mess with the apron after removing it.

They laid next to each other, the only sounds were their heavy breathing and the egg timer in the kitchen. Finally, Kevin rolled up enough to peck Edd on the lips. "Gonna go turn that blasted thing off and pull the pan out of the over. I'll help you get dressed when I get back." Edd just smiled and nodded.

After Kevin got out of bed, he paused by the dresser and looked back at Edd. "Can I put on pants this time?"

"Please do! I don't need a third temptation tonight," he replied while clearly eye-fucking Kevin.

Kevin laughs and slides into a pair of shorts before heading into the kitchen. When he returns, he helps Edd out of bed and into the shorts he was wearing earlier.

As they were finishing up dinner, Edd suddenly perks up, and says, "I just remembered, you were telling me about this new job opportunity, before… the storm…"

"'The storm'? Is that what we're calling your sudden lustful attack?" Kevin sassed.

"Perhaps… but this job? You said there was a catch?"

"Yeah, I'd have to teach. They need a history and a math teacher, so I kinda lucked out with my BA in history. But I would also have to take a teaching certificate class at the same time. They have a one-year program but it's supposedly pretty intense since they typically do three-year programs."

"Well, that sounds great! I don't see why you're so apprehensive though…"

"Man, Edd, I haven't touched a history book since college. I don't know if I can teach high schoolers and make it interesting. I just-"

"Hush. I have complete faith in you. You know your stuff, I've seen it in the way you always correct and add to whatever history show we're watching. And you do make it interesting, especially if you're drunk."

"I don't think I can get drunk while teaching high schoolers."

"Yeah, I suppose it's for the best. Less profanity."

Kevin laughs. "So, do you think I should go for it?"

Edd kisses Kevin on the check as he picks up their dishes to put I the sink, "Of course. In all honesty I'm surprised you haven't already applied."

"I've already requested my transcripts and updated my resume today."

Edd paused on his way to the sink, smirking over his shoulder, "See. Even you know you were meant to coach."

"Yeah, yeah. I guess I was just having my doubts because of the teaching component of it."

"You'll be fine. Just no beer before lectures on Genghis Khan."

"Dude! You don't understand! He wasn't just some ruthless murderer, he was a genius! He perfected the Silk Road, he created an effective postal system, his political and military genius helped advanced Mongolia and build his army, even if it meant having officers who were formerly soldiers of the enemy that-" Edd silenced him with a kiss as he sat back down at the table. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's great to see you so passionate about this. You have a talent for coaching and you obviously do have a mind for history. You're real lucky to have found a job that allows you to utilize both."

Edd holds his hand and stares at it when as he continues to speak. "However, I feel like I'm even luckier than you, because of you. Just by knowing someone as brilliant and sweet and compassionate and fun-loving as you, I feel blessed… but to be going out with you… I almost feel undeservingly lucky. You've treated me so well, and you've brightened my most gloomy, rainy, can't-go-to-the-botanical-gardens kind of days. Just thinking of you is enough to do the trick. And you've had that effect on me since before we started dating. It quickly got to the point where I didn't consider it a good day unless we texted and I got insanely happy every time I saw a patient with flowers, because it made me think of you. And it's not just about how you make me feel, but how you inspire me. You seek new adventures with no fear. You're always finding way to expand your horizons. And like I said earlier, you're brilliant and talented. You find ways to pursue what you love, and-" Edd glances up and freezes when he see's Kevin choking back tears.

"Edd… you're wrong…"

"What!?"

"I don't seek new adventures with no fear. Trust me. Getting to know you and eventually asking you out was a new adventure that scared me shitless."

"Language, Kevin."

Kevin just rolled his eyes and laughed. "But like you said, I find ways to pursue what I love…" With that last word, Kevin squeezed Edd's hands.

Edd gasped and widen his eyes. "Kevin… say it directly…"

Kevin grinned and complied. "I love you, Edd."

Edd flung his arms around Kevin and kissed him. "And I love you, Kevin."

Kevin was still a little scared, but that was greatly outweighed by his excitement over seeing where this adventure with Edd would take the both of them.


	12. Epilogue

"Love you, Edd," Kevin said before kissing him on the cheek, as he places two wine flutes next to the ice bucket they were using to chill the orange juice and the champagne. Edd watches him finish setting the table for their brunch and reflects on the past three years since he first heard Kevin say, "I love you." Okay, more like two years, ten months, three weeks, and a day, but who's counting?

Edd's counting, but he enjoys doing it since a lot has happened in that time.

Kevin got the teaching/coaching job and decided to sign over the family business to both cousins. They can duke it out amongst themselves if they want one sole owner again. After their one-year anniversary, Edd got promoted to Head of Department, meaning that he has more reign over his schedule and location, so no more moving in the future. After Kevin's football team wins the homecoming game later that same month, Edd asks Kevin to move in with him. Kevin brings over a car-full of his stuff that same night. From then on, Edd makes sure he's off on days that Kevin has home games, for both football and baseball. The still give each other flowers for their birthdays and certain holidays, and for anniversaries they do a small overhaul of the garden. Last year they added two rows to the garden for vegetables and herbs, some of which is featured in the brunch that Kevin has currently prepared. Whenever they're away, athletic camps for Kevin or business trips and conferences for Edd, they call each other all the time, and send pictures of the garden, or of anything floral they might see. Edd was right. He did become a lot happier in this new city.

They also have another tradition. Friday breakfast. Kevin has planning period on Friday mornings, meaning he doesn't have to go in as early, so he has time to make a full breakfast for Edd. Edd fixed his schedule so he can work from home on Fridays, only going in on rare occasions, but even then, he doesn't miss Kevin's Friday breakfast. The usually eat on the terrace of their split-level home, weather permitting. And as long as there's a flower in bloom somewhere in the garden, there will be a cutting in a small vase as the centerpiece. Kevin always makes sure to use Edd's favorite vase, the one he gave him on their first date, with the green ribbon tied around it.

There is one difference to their traditional Friday breakfast today. It's actually brunch. They decided that since they have the day off, they should sleep in and have a leisurely brunch before their flight that afternoon. You see, their three-year anniversary is on Tuesday, and Kevin decided that this year they should go big to celebrate. They're going to Ireland for ten days. Kevin wants to show Edd all the fields of flowers in those pictures and where his mother grew up.

As Edd begins to make the mimosas, he is talking rapidly about how excited he is for the trip and how long it's been since they've been on a real vacation. As they eat, they discuss again all the places that they want to see.

Edd accidently sloshes his mimosa on the table again as he talks excitedly. "I'm so sorry. I guess I'm just too riled up!"

"That stoked for the trip, huh?"

"Most certainly! And nothing can make today better!" Edd beams, and Kevin just grins back at him.

Edd continues to smile as he reaches out a hand to touch Kevin's face. He sweeps the fringe back a little. He traces a finger over the faded scar on his eyebrow, remembering how Kevin got that scar just two weeks after their paths first crossed. He then gets lost in Kevin's eyes. Kevin notices that Edd is taking in every bit of his face, looking at him like he's the most beautiful and amazing thing Edd has every seen. This usually makes Kevin's heart skip a beat, but today, it's making him anxious.

Kevin's waiting for him to go back to his normal routine. To talk about the food, then notice the old green ribbon around the vase, and complain about the fraying, like he does every Friday, trying to convince Kevin to allow him to change it out for a newer ribbon. Maybe then Edd will notice that there's a ring tied to it.


End file.
